CARDINAL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for CARDINAL?

Need another word that means the same as “cardinal”? Find 21 synonyms and 30 related words for “cardinal” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Cardinal” are: central, fundamental, key, primal, basic, main, chief, primary, prime, principal, premier, first, leading, capital, paramount, cardinal grosbeak, cardinalis cardinalis, redbird, richmondena cardinalis, cardinal number, carmine

Cardinal as a Noun

Definitions of "Cardinal" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “cardinal” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• One of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes.
• Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male.
• (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes.
• A variable color averaging a vivid red.
• A New World songbird of the bunting family, having a stout bill and typically a conspicuous crest. The male is partly or mostly red in colour.
• A deep scarlet colour like that of a cardinal's cassock.
• A leading dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals are nominated by the Pope, and form the Sacred College which elects succeeding popes (now invariably from among their own number.
• The number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order.

Synonyms of "Cardinal" as a noun (6 Words)

cardinal grosbeak	One of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes.
cardinal number	One of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes.
cardinalis cardinalis	Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male.
carmine	A vivid crimson colour. Carmine roses.
redbird	The male is bright red with black wings and tail.
richmondena cardinalis	Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male.

Usage Examples of "Cardinal" as a noun

• His appointment as cardinal.
• The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster.

Cardinal as an Adjective

Definitions of "Cardinal" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “cardinal” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Serving as an essential component.
• Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order.
• Of the greatest importance; fundamental.

Synonyms of "Cardinal" as an adjective (15 Words)

basic	Offering or constituting the minimum required without elaboration or luxury. A basic fact.
capital	Uppercase. He s a really capital fellow.
central	Of the greatest importance; principal or essential. The station has a central courtyard.
chief	Most important element. Chief among her concerns is working alone at night.
first	Ranking above all others. Her first baby.
fundamental	Far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something. The fundamental revolution in human values that has occurred.
key	Serving as an essential component. She became a key figure in the suffragette movement.
leading	Having the leading position or higher score in a contest. We rode in the leading car.
main	Capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence. The main doors were of solid glass.
paramount	More important than anything else; supreme. The interests of the child are of paramount importance.
premier	Preceding all others in time. An architect of premier rank.
primal	Relating to or denoting the needs, fears, or behaviour that are postulated (especially in Freudian theory) to form the origins of emotional life. Primal hunting societies.
primary	Of primary importance. A primary instinct.
prime	(of a number) divisible only by itself and unity (e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11). The novel is a prime example of the genre.
principal	Most important element. The principal example.

Usage Examples of "Cardinal" as an adjective

• Two cardinal points must be borne in mind.
• Cardinal numbers.
• A cardinal rule.

Associations of "Cardinal" (30 Words)

abbess	A woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns.
abbot	A man who is the head of an abbey of monks.
archbishop	A bishop of highest rank. The Archbishop of York.
benedict	A newly married man (especially one who has long been a bachelor.
bishop	A chess piece typically with its top shaped like a mitre that can move in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands Each player starts the game with two bishops one moving on white squares and the other on black.
clergy	In Christianity clergymen collectively as distinguished from the laity. All marriages were to be solemnized by the clergy.
clergyman	A male priest, minister, or religious leader, especially a Christian one.
coadjutor	A bishop appointed to assist and often to succeed a diocesan bishop.
creed	A system of religious belief; a faith. People of many creeds and cultures.
curate	A minister with pastoral responsibility.
diocesan	Of or concerning a diocese.
diocese	The territorial jurisdiction of a bishop.
ecclesiastic	Of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church. Ecclesiastic history.
hierarch	A person who holds a high position in a hierarchy.
holy	A sacred place of pilgrimage. Saints and holy men.
ordain	(of God or fate) decide (something) in advance. He was ordained a minister before entering Parliament.
ordination	A ceremony in which someone is ordained. The rabbi s family was present for his ordination.
parish	The smallest unit of local government, constituted only in rural areas. A parish councillor.
pontiff	The head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope s first visit to Poland as pontiff.
pope	English poet and satirist (1688-1744.
prelate	A bishop or other high ecclesiastical dignitary.
priest	Ordain to the priesthood. The plays were performed within the sacred area of Dionysus in the presence of his priest.
protestant	The Protestant churches and denominations collectively.
religious	A member of a religious order who is bound by vows of poverty and chastity and obedience. Religious in observing the rules of health.
reverend	Used as a title or form of address to members of the clergy. A retired reverend.
sacred	Regarded as too valuable to be interfered with; sacrosanct. The sacred name of Jesus.
saint	Used in titles of religious saints. She s a saint to go on living with that man.
synod	A Presbyterian ecclesiastical court above the presbyteries and subject to the General Assembly. The deanery synod.
ultramontane	Situated on the other side of the Alps from the point of view of the speaker. Ultramontane Catholicism.
vicar	A clergyman in charge of a chapel.