cardinal

American  

[kahr-dn-l] / ˈkɑr dn l /

noun

cardinals plural

1. Roman Catholic Church. a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and ranking above every other ecclesiastic but the pope.

2. any bird belonging to the genus Cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae (cardinal family), especially the common northern cardinal of North America, the male of which is bright red.

3. any bird of the Americas belonging to the genus Piranga, Chlorothraupis, or Habia, including the scarlet tanager: these three genera were long considered part of the tanager family but are now classified as members of the cardinal family.

4. Also called red-headed cardinal.  any bird belonging to the genus Paroaria of the tanager family (Thraupidae), noted for drab plumage other than conspicuously red head parts: most common in South America, Paroaria species include the prominently crested P. coronata, which has been successfully introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

5. Also called Mediterranean fritillary.  a spotted, orange nymphalid butterfly with a green underside, Argynnis pandora, found throughout southern Europe and some adjoining regions of Asia and northern Africa.

6. a deep, rich red color.

7. a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.

8. cardinal number.

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adjective

1. of prime importance; chief; principal.

   of cardinal significance.

2. of the color cardinal.

cardinal British  

/ ˈkɑːdɪnəl /

noun

1. RC Church any of the members of the Sacred College, ranking next after the pope, who elect the pope and act as his chief counsellors

2. Also called: cardinal red.  a deep vivid red colour

3. See cardinal number

4. Also called: cardinal grosbeak.   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

5. a fritillary butterfly, Pandoriana pandora, found in meadows of southern Europe

6. a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries

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adjective

1. (usually prenominal) fundamentally important; principal

   cardinal sin

2. of a deep vivid red colour

3. astrology of or relating to the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn Compare mutable fixed

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cardinalship
  noun
• intercardinal
  adjective
• postcardinal
  adjective
• subcardinal
  adjective
• cardinally
  adverb
• subcardinally
  adverb
• uncardinally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cardinals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cardinal

First recorded before 1150; Middle English, Old English, from Latin cardinālis, equivalent to cardin- (stem of cardō ) “hinge,” hence, something on which other things hinge + -ālis adjective suffix; see -al ¹

Explanation

A cardinal is a bright red songbird, and the word also refers to the bird's crimson color. In Catholicism, a cardinal is a high-ranking bishop. In math, you use cardinal numbers to count. A cardinal rule is one that is central and should not be broken. Okay, that's a lot of definitions. How exactly are they related? In most cases, cardinal means central or essential. It's a cardinal principle that you use it to describe words of behavior like rule or sin. In the Church, cardinals form the central governing body, and in math the cardinal numbers (one, two, three) are the numbers you learn and use first.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cardinal cardinals

One morning, Margaret notices a red cardinal in her kitchen, meeting its eyes before it departs back out her window.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Her crime, she believes, is “the cardinal scientific sin of anthropomorphizing trees by using the metaphor of the mother tree.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Freedom of circulation is a cardinal principle of maritime law.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

It said the cardinal "distances himself from Monsignor Micheletti's statements and expresses his disappointment over what happened" and stated its "commitment to the protection of its artistic and spiritual heritage" against misuse or exploitation.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

He knew that the circumference of the Earth was forty thousand kilometers, and that only the male cardinal was bright red.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Her recent joint interview with three U.S. cardinals about Pope Leo XIV and his church’s opposition to the Iran war and Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown became a major story in April.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Leo, 70, will on Friday mark one year as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, after being elected by cardinals on May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis.

From Barron's ● May 3, 2026

“I think the cardinals were looking for three things,” said Alistair Dutton, secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of Catholic humanitarian organizations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

The richly-decorated 15th Century chapel is the setting for the conclave of cardinals that elects the pope.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025

For some reason, we had a great number of cardinals about the place that year.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• overriding