as in main
coming before all others in importance
the cardinal rule of medicine: do no harm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cardinal
The design once enjoyed by Javanese nobility references the sacred Javanese architectural vernacular style of saka guru, which represents the cardinal directions and has spiritual significance too.
—
Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
Sort your laundry — but not by color The once cardinal rule of separating darks from whites before washing them has flown the coop.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
To secure such an outcome means breaking his cardinal rule.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The Mutable Fire Sign Every sign is assigned a quality (cardinal, mutable, or fixed), which explains the sign's basic energy.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
Sort your laundry — but not by color The once cardinal rule of separating darks from whites before washing them has flown the coop.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
To secure such an outcome means breaking his cardinal rule.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The Mutable Fire Sign Every sign is assigned a quality (cardinal, mutable, or fixed), which explains the sign's basic energy.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
-
Three main risks should worry Congress, the courts and every American about the rapid rise of these markets.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Surges can sometimes indicate an underlying wiring issue or a problem with your main breaker.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Highway Trust Fund — the primary federal account dedicated to funding highways, bridges and transit — is going broke.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Royse said that according to the AccuWeather long range forecast, there will be a brief warmup starting next week, but chilly air masses will be more predominant for the second half of the month, contrary to the first two weeks of April.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
In mixed turf, mow to the height for the predominant species in your lawn.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If anything, Leeds were more dominant and more aggrieved in the first match than Bournemouth were in the second.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That came on the heels of Monday’s dominant pitching performance in a 2-0 win over Bartlett.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Just last month it was reported that Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers organiser, raped women and girls, and Noam Chomsky—one of the left’s foremost intellectuals whose most popular book is called Manufacturing Consent—is right there on the Epstein private jet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The number of people with severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly kind, is expected to increase to 800,000, the world’s foremost experts on food security, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said in February.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
David Rubenstein, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles, was also among the guests, sources told Candy Woodall of Spotlight on Maryland.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Wei Sun, principal analyst at market analysis firm Counterpoint Research, highlighted the fact that V4 is run on domestic chips from Huawei and Cambricon, another Chinese AI chipmaker, in comparison to R1, which was trained on Nvidia hardware.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With the Moon meeting Jupiter in your 9th House, big ideas around travel, learning, or growth feel expansive and worth pursuing.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Two of the Cubs’ biggest power threats in the middle of the lineup came into Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies searching for something to build upon.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jaiden Ilginis made quite an entrance last spring for Tinley Park, recording a hat trick in her first game as a freshman.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
With Carlos Rodón, set to make his first rehab start Friday, and Gerrit Cole, scheduled for his second rehab start Thursday, working their way back from injuries, a logjam is coming to the Yankees’ rotation if everyone else stays healthy.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
