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
In order to win the conclave, the new pope needed to get 89 of 133 cardinal votes.
—
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 May 2025
This is a short squeeze as hedge funds forgot the cardinal rule: never short something the first 30 days of an IPO.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 27 May 2025
Look, but don’t touch is the cardinal rule at most museums.
—Nevin Martell, USA Today, 27 May 2025
But no betting on baseball was the cardinal rule, and Rose knew it.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 May 2025
This is a short squeeze as hedge funds forgot the cardinal rule: never short something the first 30 days of an IPO.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 27 May 2025
Look, but don’t touch is the cardinal rule at most museums.
—Nevin Martell, USA Today, 27 May 2025
But no betting on baseball was the cardinal rule, and Rose knew it.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
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The tournament grounds feature three main retail sites: the Centre Court Shop, the No. 1 Court Shop and the Museum Shop, along with five express shops and an additional nine kiosks.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Atrium Ljungberg, White Arkitekter A huge, new city is being built in Sweden, but it’s not being constructed using steel or concrete — its main building material is wood.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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No, corn sweat is not the primary cause behind the heat wave Cincinnati is experiencing this week.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
24 July 2025
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Democrat Adelita Grijalva handily won Arizona's July 15 special primary election, securing a blowout victory that sets her up to succeed her father, the long-serving Rep. Raúl Grijalva, in Congress.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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Where in the past the predominant parties would at least pay lip service by either demanding higher taxes or lower spending, that appears to be out the window in DC these days.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
24 July 2025
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Your predominant dosha—whether vata, pitta, or kapha—affects everything from your personality to your sleep tendencies.—
Anjana Rajbhandary,
Outside Online,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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The hope is that Brown finds the magic elixir that allows the Knicks to thrive with a dominant offense that highlights the best traits of Towns at center.—
Tom Rende,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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The surprise deal will see Sky becoming New Zealand’s dominant TV media player by acquiring 100% of the shares in Discovery NZ from Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, a subsidiary of WBD, on a cash-free, debt-free basis.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Just as Russia has declined in its military might since the break-up of the Soviet Union a generation ago, Grossfeld says, its status as one of the globe’s foremost space powers has likewise slipped away.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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But all that nuttiness took place a long time ago, under the influence, and, according to the world’s foremost Ozzy authority, such is not really the case.—
Erik Hedegaard,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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The old adage of blood being thicker than water will mean that China’s principal appeal for unity with Taiwanese—cultural commonality—will finally have traction.—
Kerry Brown,
Time,
29 July 2025
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That's shortsighted, says Dr. Nirav Shah, former principal deputy director at CDC who left the agency in February.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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With the first two episodes already having so much drama, the rest of the summer is sure to be eventful.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
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The project is the first to enlist youth to do this monitoring.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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Elsewhere on Hot Ones Versus, the two get into just about everything, from Yang's favorite childhood wrestler to Rogers' biggest celebrity crush.—
Lauren Huff Published,
EW.com,
30 July 2025
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Resolution said the site has the potential to become one of America's biggest copper mines.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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