cardinal point

American  

[kahr-din-uhl point] / ˈkɑr dɪn əl ˈpɔɪnt /

noun

plural

cardinal points

1. a crucial point in an argument, agenda, history, etc.; key fact or idea.

2. any of the four main points of the compass: north, south, east, or west.

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cardinal point Scientific  

1. One of the four principal directions on a compass (north, south, east, or west).

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Example Sentences

In this now classic treatise on apocalyptic thinking in fiction, Kermode argues that it “is commonplace to talk about our historical situation as uniquely terrible and in a way privileged, a cardinal point in time.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2016

It practically abandoned all pretence on the part of the Great Powers to protect the Christians in Turkey, cardinal point of Gladstone's eastern policy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even then, said Administration aides, it would remain a cardinal point of U.S. policy to see Castro unseated, if only through economic and political pressures.

From Time Magazine Archive

To avoid this situation is a cardinal point of her policy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now the cardinal point of difference between primitive Christianity and Judaism related to the alleged abrogation of the ancient constitution set forth in the old Testament.

From Creed And Deed A Series of Discourses by Adler, Felix