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
Changing that state of affairs, and doing so as quickly as possible, is a cardinal European task.
—
Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Nearby, a stone pagoda bears a tall, striking pillar which has four Buddha faces — one per cardinal direction.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
There are three such cardinal winds, each of them gods and all of them supposedly siblings, three male and the fourth, a southeasterly that tends to blow in the wet winter season, female.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
At the very bottom lay a smaller cross-shaped chamber, where colored soils – blue, green, and yellow – were carefully placed to match the four cardinal directions.
—New Atlas, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Nearby, a stone pagoda bears a tall, striking pillar which has four Buddha faces — one per cardinal direction.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
There are three such cardinal winds, each of them gods and all of them supposedly siblings, three male and the fourth, a southeasterly that tends to blow in the wet winter season, female.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
At the very bottom lay a smaller cross-shaped chamber, where colored soils – blue, green, and yellow – were carefully placed to match the four cardinal directions.
—New Atlas, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
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And one of its main ingredients was a hair product – Afro Sheen.—
Sonari Glinton,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Then the Orion capsule will fire up its main thruster and shoot off towards the Moon on its 240,000-mile, four-day journey.—
The Week,
TheWeek,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Incorporate elements such as scented hand soaps or fragrant eucalyptus branches in an en suite bathroom to give your primary suite a spa-like feel.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
16 Jan. 2026
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Following earlier issues with its primary IMU, the mission switched to a backup unit that experienced accelerated wear, leaving MAVEN unable to fully rely on either system.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Rail transport remained the predominant mode of travel in 1920s America.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Republicans argued race was a predominant factor in drawing the district boundaries, in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments.—
Nidia Cavazos,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Bernstein projected Nvidia’s share would shrink to 8% under export restrictions, while Huawei’s share could rise to a dominant position at 50%, subject to policy changes.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
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In his first season on the show, Lusth’s alliance of four (the Aitu Four) beat out the more dominant tribe largely because of his incredibly dominant challenge performance.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Travelers often worry about coming off as rude or offending someone, but your personal safety is foremost, so trust your gut.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Jan. 2026
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Half of the finance chiefs surveyed named digital transformation as their foremost priority for 2026, followed by cash management optimization and capital allocation.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The principal ownership for both leases is the same — Art Engel, a longtime player in tidelands real estate.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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Tax revenue from stock-option withholding paid by some of the state’s biggest tech companies made up about 10% of all income tax withholding in 2025, estimated Chas Alamo, the principal fiscal and policy analyst with the LAO.—
Levi Sumagaysay,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some big technology companies have come out of the woodwork and expressed interest in Illumina’s Atlas.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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DeChambeau and Smith each left in 2022, but Rahm was perhaps the biggest surprise.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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His first action of the night came after about three minutes into the game, not long after going over to the exercise bike parked just outside the tunnel leading to their locker room, jumping on it while being advised by a member of the Hornets’ performance staff.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
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Pratt launched his mayoral run on the first anniversary of the Los Angeles fires, which destroyed his and his wife Heidi Montag’s home.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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