cordial
Americanadjective
noun
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cordials
plural
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a strong, sweetened, aromatic alcoholic liquor; liqueur
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a stimulating medicine.
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anything that invigorates or exhilarates.
adjective
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warm and friendly
a cordial greeting
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giving heart; stimulating
noun
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a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunk
lime cordial
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another word for liqueur
Usage
What does cordial mean? Cordial means friendly and polite. It used to describe people and their behavior toward others in social situations, especially when they do not know each other well. When you treat people cordially, you treat them with a sincere friendliness and warmth. A cordial greeting is a warm and friendly one, especially one intended to make someone feel welcome. The quality of being cordial is cordiality. Cordial can also be used as a noun meaning a sweetened liquor (more commonly called a liqueur) or a kind of nonalcoholic fruit-based drink, like lime cordial. Example: My parents were always very cordial and welcoming when I brought new friends home.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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cordialnessnoun
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supercordialnessnoun
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uncordialnessnoun
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precordialadjective
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quasi-cordialadjective
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supercordialadjective
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uncordialadjective
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cordiallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cordial
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cordiālis, equivalent to Latin cordi- (stem of cor ) “heart” + -ālis adjective suffix; see heart ( def. ), -al 1
Explanation
Use cordial to describe a relationship that is friendly and sincere but not overly close. A cordial greeting is perfectly pleasant but doesn't involve lots of hugging or excessive emotion. You might have cordial relationships with most of the kids in your close, but only confide in your closest friends. In Middle English, this adjective meant "of the heart," borrowed from medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor, "heart." This core sense of "heart" can be seen in the synonyms heartfelt and hearty. The noun cordial originally referred to a medicine or drink that stimulates the heart, but its current sense is "a liqueur."
Vocabulary lists containing cordial
Grade 9, List 2
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More Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The older brother and I are cordial to each other.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The German reputation for being cautious and meticulous in diplomatic matters is well deserved, and the three previous national governments have had relatively cordial relations with Russia.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
In his remarks, Trump was cordial and conciliatory, saying "the second time is always better", joking and praising the media - saying he respects "most of them".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Two other officials familiar with the dinner said it was very cordial and their leaders breathed a major sigh of relief after it was over that it didn’t devolve into a shouting match.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The dinner that followed was lively and cordial: Bobby showed Ilyumzhinov how Fischer Random was played, and he plied the president with questions about Russian politics.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Britvic makes a range of consumer soft drinks and cordials, including the kind of flavored mixer that analysts see taking up a greater share of sales in bars and pubs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Lately, it's offered a wider range of sparkling drinks and cordials.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
Homemade syrups, cordials and infusions are prepped ahead of time.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024
Now combined into a single storefront, the current retail space retains raffish details of its liquor-store days, including a retro red-and-blue neon sign and period gilt window lettering advertising cognacs and cordials.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2022
As kind as patriotic, with her hands filled with soothing cordials, she was seen, through all her life, knocking at the door of suffering humanity.
From Noble Deeds of American Women With Biographical Sketches of Some of the More Prominent by J. (Jesse) Clement
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
