as in main
coming before all others in importance
the cardinal rule of medicine: do no harm
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Recent Examples of cardinal
The cardinal rule of relativity is that there’s a speed limit to the Universe, the speed of light, that nothing can break.
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Never Share Sensitive Workplace Data With AI Tools The cardinal rule is simple.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
It is heavily guarded because the cardinal rule of the place is that there is no violence.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
King arrived at the event in a pair of Manolo Blahnik‘s Corintia 90mm pumps in a bright cardinal red hue, which were a flattering contrast to the cobalt blue carpet.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Never Share Sensitive Workplace Data With AI Tools The cardinal rule is simple.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
It is heavily guarded because the cardinal rule of the place is that there is no violence.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
King arrived at the event in a pair of Manolo Blahnik‘s Corintia 90mm pumps in a bright cardinal red hue, which were a flattering contrast to the cobalt blue carpet.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
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Transfer fee add-ons, or ‘contingent consideration’, to use accountancy lingo, can be accounted for in different ways, with three main practices used in the industry.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Frontier Drive is also envisioned as the project’s main street and will be lined with shops and restaurants.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The game’s primary goal is to shed light on the struggles of being forced into a refugee camp.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Sep. 2025
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The reason for the Fed’s tentative steps is its two primary and potentially clashing mandates — maximum sustainable employment and price stability.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement Lee believes a key factor is that Korean society has no predominant religion but a smattering of similarly sized faiths that maintain a balanced following without chafing against each other.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
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Should contempt become the predominant way that two partners communicate with one another, one or both will eventually reach a breaking point.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The five-time first-team All-NBA megastar reinvented himself physically at the start of the summer before looking like the most dominant player in all of Europe this summer.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Taiwan has begun evolving its trade strategy to start wielding its dominant position as a leading supplier of cutting-edge chips as a weapon, Bloomberg reported.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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On August 31, the International Association of Genocide Scholars—the foremost academic body in the field—voted to affirm that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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One of the foremost images of American exceptionalism is that of the strong frontier woman taming the elements alongside her husband while also keeping the hearth burning and the bellies full.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Former Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner was officially let go from the team on Monday, marking his official exit after being relieved of his team principal duties back in July.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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On Friday, the Commerce Department will release its August reading on personal income and spending, as well as the personal consumption expenditures price indexes that the Federal Reserve uses at is principal inflation gauge.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Affleck’s younger sibling, Fin, formerly known as Seraphina, publicly used the memorial service of Garner’s father to share their new name and identity for the first time in April 2024.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
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The $15 billion, first phase of CP2 just began construction near to Calcasieu Pass and is slated to start producing LNG in 2027.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Not that the Aztecs don’t appreciate the buzz that accompanies a big win.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Sep. 2025
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Jones said the 49ers’ two biggest blunders Sunday were his fault.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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