- a number denoting relative position in a sequence, such as first, second, thirdSometimes shortened to: ordinal
Compare cardinal number
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈor•di•nal ˈnum•ber, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Mathematicsa number that expresses position in a series, as first, second, or third.
or′dinal num′ber,
- MathematicsAlso called or′dinal nu′meral. any of the numbers that express degree, quality, or position in a series, as first, second, and third (distinguished from cardinal number).
- Mathematicsa symbol denoting both the cardinal number and the ordering of a given set, being identical for two ordered sets having elements that can be placed into one-to-one correspondence, the correspondence preserving the order of the elements.
- 1600–10
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ordinal number n
Compare cardinal number
Compare cardinal number
'ordinal number' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
cardinal number
- eighteenth
- eighth
- eightieth
- eleventh
- fiftieth
- first
- fortieth
- hand
- hundredth
- millionth
- nineteenth
- ninetieth
- ninth
- nth
- number
- ordinal
- second
- seventeenth
- seventh
- seventieth
- sixteenth
- sixth
- sixtieth
- tenth
- third
- thirteenth
- thirtieth
- thousandth
- transfinite number
- twelfth
- twentieth
- eighty-eighth
- eighty-fifth
- eighty-first
- eighty-fourth
- eighty-ninth
- eighty-second
- eighty-seventh
- eighty-sixth
- eighty-third
- fifteenth
- fifth
- fifty-eighth
- fifty-fifth
- fifty-first
- fifty-fourth
- fifty-ninth
- fifty-second
- fifty-seventh