cordial

[kawr-juhl or, esp. British, -dee-uhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cordial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

courteous and gracious; friendly; warm: a cordial reception.

invigorating the heart; stimulating.

sincere; heartfelt: a cordial dislike.

Archaic. of or relating to the heart.

noun

a strong, sweetened, aromatic alcoholic liquor; liqueur.

a stimulating medicine.

anything that invigorates or exhilarates.

Origin of cordial

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cordiālis, equivalent to Latin cordi- (stem of cor) heart + -ālis -al¹

Related formscor·dial·ly, adverbcor·dial·ness, nounpre·cor·dial, adjectivequa·si-cor·dial, adjectivequa·si-cor·dial·ly, adverbsu·per·cor·dial, adjectivesu·per·cor·dial·ly, adverbsu·per·cor·dial·ness, nounun·cor·dial, adjectiveun·cor·dial·ly, adverbun·cor·dial·ness, noun

Synonyms for cordial

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cordial ON THESAURUS.COM

1. affectionate, genial. 2. cheering.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cordial

sympathetic, affectionate, warmhearted, welcoming, cozy, jovial, earnest, sincere, polite, hearty, cheerful, neighborly, warm, congenial, heartfelt, amicable, gracious, tender, glowing, social

Examples from the Web for cordial

Contemporary Examples of cordial

The 2008 Republican presidential nominee and longtime Arizona senator has long had a cordial relationship with Hillary Clinton.
Remember When Republicans Loved Hillary Clinton?
Ben Jacobs
December 1, 2014
Despite any partisan enmities, the two top politicos maintained a cordial relationship.
The McConnell Friend Obama Just Hired
Jonathan Miller
November 10, 2014
The president and former president, who once despised each other, are cordial but far from friendly.
The Only Way for Democrats to Win
Jonathan Alter
October 24, 2014
The email exchanges started out as cordial, if cold, but gradually grew more confrontational.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad
Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy
October 17, 2014
As part of the “love the sinner, hate the sin” culture, many townspeople are still polite and cordial to their faces.
Mississippi Is Hell for These Lesbians
Emily Shire
August 8, 2014

Historical Examples of cordial

Our meeting, after mutual recognition, was affectionate and cordial.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson
She smiled a cordial welcome to him, so he turned and changed his step to suit hers.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr
I fancy in the cordial excitement of the moment he was quite sincere.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
To-day the greeting between the two men was a cordial if a brief one.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
The meeting was by appointment, however, and his greeting was cordial and hearty.
Little Masterpieces of Science:
Various

British Dictionary definitions for cordial

cordial

adjective

warm and friendlya cordial greeting

giving heart; stimulating

noun

a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunklime cordial

another word for liqueur

Derived Formscordially, adverbcordialness, noun

Word Origin for cordial

C14: from Medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor heart

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cordial

adj.

late 14c., "of the heart," from Middle French cordial, from Medieval Latin cordialis "of or for the heart," from Latin cor (genitive cordis) "heart" (see heart). Meaning "heartfelt, from the heart" is mid-15c. The noun is late 14c., originally "medicine, food, or drink that stimulates the heart." Related: Cordiality.