cordial
Syllables: cor·dialUK/ˈkɔː.di.əl//ˈkɔɹ.di.əl/
cordial adjective: hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
Adjective
cordial (comparative more cordial, superlative most cordial)
- Hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
- I have a cordial dislike for arachnids.
- He, on his side / Leaning half raised, with looks of cordial love / Hung over her enamoured.1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker...
- Radiating warmth and friendliness; genial.
- The sight of London warmed my heart with various emotions, such as a cordial man must draw from the heart of all humanity.1869, R[ichard] D[oddridge] Blackmore, “CHAPTER 66”, in Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, […], →OCLC
- Since then, though, discussions have become more collaborative and cordial.2024 April 22, Russell Fuller, “What lies in store for tennis' revamped future?”, in BBC
- Tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate; giving strength or spirits.
- I vvas baptized in thy Cordiall vvater, againſt Original ſinne, and I haue drunke of thy Cordiall Blood, for my recouerie, from actuall, and habituall ſinne, in the other Sacrament.1624, John Donne, “11. Prayer.”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, pages 280–281
- And first behold this cordial julep here / That flames and dances in his crystal bounds, / With spirits of balm, and fragrant syrups mix'd.1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey...
- Synonyms:
- refreshing, invigorating, renewing
- Proceeding from the heart.
- Who stooping op'n'd my left side, and took / From thence a Rib with cordial spirits warm, / And Life-blood streaming fresh;1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker...
Noun
cordial (plural cordials)
- A concentrated non-carbonated soft drink which is diluted with water before drinking.
- Both supplement and taste-matched placebo were consumed in 70 ml of fruit cordial and 150 ml of water, which were drunk within a 5-min period.2024 May 31, Andrew John Chappell, Adrien Parry, Trevor Simper, “The Acute Effect of Citrulline Malate Loading in Resistance Trained Males on: Anaerobic Muscular Endurance, Force Recovery and Muscle...
- Synonyms:
- squash, high juice
- An individual serving of such a diluted drink.
- A pleasant-tasting medicine.
- A liqueur prepared using the infusion process.
- Lucy. But, miss Polly—in the way of friendship, will you give me leave to propose a glass of cordial to you ?
Polly. Strong waters are apt to give me the headache.—I hope, madam, you will excuse me?1728, John Gay, The Beggar's Opera, Act III, Scene 1, in 1828, British Theatre, Comprising Tragedies, Comedies, Operas, and Farces, 827 - [Marilla] had put the bottle of raspberry cordial down in the cellar instead of in the closet [...].1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, L. C. Page & Co.
- Lucy. But, miss Polly—in the way of friendship, will you give me leave to propose a glass of cordial to you ?
- A candy (or bonbon) usually made of milk chocolate, filled with small fruits (often maraschino cherries) and syrup or fondant.
- Anything that revives or comforts, a stimulant.
- Never had Fanny more wanted a cordial. Never had she felt such a one as this letter contained.1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XV, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 288
- soda, fizzy drink
cordial meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
cordial in Tamil
- அன்பு நிறைந்த, இசைவான, இணக்கமான, உளங்கனிந்த, உள்ளார்ந்த
cordial in Urdu
- مخلص, قلبی, یار باش
cordial in Bengali
- আন্তরিক, বন্ধুত্বপূর্ণ
cordial in Malayalam
- ഹൃദ്യമായ, സ്നേഹപൂർവ്വമായ, ആത്മാർത്ഥമായ, ഊഷ്മളം
More languagesFewer languages
- cordial in Kannada
- ಪಾನೀಯ, ಹಣ್ಣಿನ ರಸ, ಎದೆತುಂಬಿದ, ಆತ್ಮೀಯ
- cordial in Nepali
- न्यानो nyāno
- cordial in Malay
- sirap
- cordial in Indonesian
- sirup
Examples of cordial in a sentence
- The relations between the Earl of Bellomont and Colonel Schuyler were formal, but not cordial from the first.1885, George Washington Schuyler, Colonial New York: Philip Schuyler and His Family, C. Scribner's Sons:
- Joshua maintained his serious demeanour when Wilder took the microphone - his gaze not leaving the Alabama fighter who was cordial and respectful in return.2023 November 15, Kal Sajad, “Anthony Joshua: Briton bites at Otto Wallin, Jarrell Miller and critics at star-studded news conference”, in...
Synonyms of cordial
Forms of cordial
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more cordial |
| superlative | most cordial |
| Noun | |
| plural | cordials |
Origin of cordial
Inherited from Middle English cordial, from Old French cordial, from Medieval Latin cordiālis (“of the heart”), from cor (“heart”).
Words formed from cordial
Questions about cordial
- What does cordial mean?
- Cordial means hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
- What is cordial in Tamil?
- Cordial in Tamil is அன்பு நிறைந்த, இசைவான, இணக்கமான. See Cordial meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use cordial in a sentence?
- The relations between the Earl of Bellomont and Colonel Schuyler were formal, but not cordial from the first.
- What part of speech is cordial?
- Cordial can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce cordial?
- Cordial is pronounced /ˈkɔː.di.əl/ (UK).
Words near cordial in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cordial (page history and authors); cordial (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); cordial (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); cordial (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); cordial (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); cordial (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); न्यानो (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-cordial.ogg, EN-AU ck1 cordial.ogg.
Cite this entry: “cordial.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cordial. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.