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
Aries is a cardinal fire sign and the first sign of the zodiac.
—
Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
This moment will most likely arrive around July 13 when Saturn starts its retrograde period in fellow cardinal sign Aries.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
This cardinal fire sign isn’t afraid to live life to the fullest, often with an unquenchable thirst for a challenge.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
This would appear to violate the cardinal rule of reserves.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
This moment will most likely arrive around July 13 when Saturn starts its retrograde period in fellow cardinal sign Aries.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
This cardinal fire sign isn’t afraid to live life to the fullest, often with an unquenchable thirst for a challenge.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
This would appear to violate the cardinal rule of reserves.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cardinal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal
Adjective
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But for much of the past two centuries, Port Renfrew’s main source of employment was not promoting trees but rather chopping them down—particularly, giant, old-growth trees that fetched the highest value.—
Brad Badelt,
Outside,
11 Nov. 2025
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Rachelle Salnave, a filmmaker in Haiti, sent me videos of a piece of the Route Nationale, the country’s main transportation artery, collapsing like a glacier into a roiling, swollen river.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This discount shall apply only to the primary residence of the user and shall not apply to separate irrigation meters.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Last season’s Most Improved Player was the primary defender on Dončić, who was held to 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field in 27 minutes.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Crime and safety, particularly in Downtown, were the predominant issues in the race, especially after a string of high-profile incidents this summer and fall.—
Jordan Kellogg,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Nov. 2025
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Despite the concerns around African democracy, Afrobarometer’s annual African Insights survey shows voting in elections remains the predominant form of political and civic engagement, with nearly three-quarters of respondents voting in their country’s elections last year.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The first indication that dark energy may not be as dominant as previously thought emerged courtesy of the first results from DESI in Spring 2024.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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While Kalshi and Polymarket remain the dominant players, other challengers are emerging.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Despite the massive buildout, Al Khateeb assured the crowd that protecting the natural environment remains a foremost concern of Saudi Arabia’s government.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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The unscripted series pairs Snooki with Kevin Whitaker, one of Canada’s foremost psychic mediums.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film’s aforementioned sextet of principal stars are also very much in contention — DiCaprio and Infiniti in the lead acting categories, the others in the supporting acting categories.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
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The film, which is slated to begin principal photography next January, is written by William Wright Anderson and Katharine Meadows.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Winning the lottery is supposed to fix all of your problems, but there are some debts that are too great for the big ticket to cover.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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However, a bigger ensemble cast might also be involved.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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My first apartment on 15th and Union Square was a studio in a classy old building with marble pillars, one small room with a bigger bathroom and strangely an even bigger closet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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The purchase was the first investment by a Middle Eastern carrier in an East Asian airline.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
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