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
Consent of the owning party is a cardinal rule that Fina didn't follow.
—
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
Per The Korea Herald, according to Korean cosmology, a mythical tiger protects each of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), hence the name of her powerful blade.
—Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Iowa State chose to wear traditional road attire with cardinal helmets and pants rather than spend $75,000 for a special jersey.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
Per The Korea Herald, according to Korean cosmology, a mythical tiger protects each of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), hence the name of her powerful blade.
—Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Iowa State chose to wear traditional road attire with cardinal helmets and pants rather than spend $75,000 for a special jersey.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
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Greek Yogurt Has More Protein If your main goal is to include more protein in your diet, consider breakfasts featuring Greek yogurt.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
30 Sep. 2025
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His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Pathways, promises and potential are always the primary motivations.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Five years later Augusta had a stroke, with Ed acting as primary caretaker.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The predominant narrative among many springs scientists, advocates and government officials is that rising nitrate levels in springs over the past few decades fuels the growth of excess algae.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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Facebook emerged as the predominant tool—particularly in Egypt and Tunisia—helping organizers broadcast calls to march, circulate videos and connect people across the country to turn out and oust their leaders.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Research on ancient Egypt is largely biased toward the elite, whose spectacular tombs, monuments, and artifacts have been the dominant focus.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
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In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch, after she was found face down on the edge of a stream.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Goodall was known as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees after spending decades studying them in the wild in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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Jane Goodall, the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees whose work was captured in more than 40 documentaries, died Wednesday in California.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Biden administration completed the reversion to a Cold War frame, declaring a global divide between democracies and autocracies, with China and Russia reprising their roles as principal foes.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
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Alfonso Renart, also a principal investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation, stressed the broader implications.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The vast majority of those applications were submitted during the state's first priority window, which ran March 3-23.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Oct. 2025
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Like some other customers, Micah Fannin was checking out Dutch Bros for the first time.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Yet, on arguably the country’s biggest sporting day, the then-19-year-old showed no glimmer of nerves.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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That doesn’t bode well for a Boise State team allowing 225.7 yards per game through the air, which ranks 85th in the country, and getting beaten for big plays.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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