WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026car•di•nal /ˈkɑrdənl/USA pronunciation
adj. [before a noun]
- Phoneticsof the greatest significance:a matter of cardinal importance; a cardinal sin.
n. [countable]
- Religiona high church official appointed by the pope.
- Birdsa common crested songbird of North America, the male of which is bright red.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026car•di•nal
(kär′dn l),USA pronunciation adj.
- Phoneticsof prime importance;
chief;
principal:of cardinal significance.
- of the color cardinal.
n.
- Religion[Rom. Cath. Ch.]a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and ranking above every other ecclesiastic but the pope.
- BirdsAlso called cardinal grosbeak. a crested grosbeak, Cardinalis cardinalis, of North America, the male of which is bright red.
- Birdsany of various similar birds.
- a deep, rich red color.
- Clothinga woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.
- MathematicsSee cardinal number.
- Latin cardinālis, equivalent. to cardin- (stem of cardō) hinge, hence, something on which other things hinge + -ālis -al1
- Middle English, Old English bef. 1150
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
cardinal /ˈkɑːdɪnəl/ n - any of the members of the Sacred College, ranking next after the pope, who elect the pope and act as his chief counsellors
- Also called: cardinal red a deep vivid red colour
- See cardinal number
- Also called: cardinal grosbeak, (US) redbird a crested North American bunting, Richmondena (or Pyrrhuloxia) cardinalis, the male of which has a bright red plumage and the female a brown one
- a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries
adj - (usually prenominal) fundamentally important; principal: cardinal sin
- of a deep vivid red colour
Etymology: 13th Century: from Latin cardinālis, literally: relating to a hinge, hence, that on which something depends, principal, from cardō hinge
'cardinal point' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):