cordial

[ kawr-juhl or, especially British, -dee-uhl ]
See synonyms for cordial on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. courteous and gracious; friendly; warm: a cordial reception.

  2. invigorating the heart; stimulating.

  1. sincere; heartfelt: a cordial dislike.

  2. Archaic. of or relating to the heart.

noun
  1. a strong, sweetened, aromatic alcoholic liquor;liqueur

  2. a stimulating medicine.

  1. anything that invigorates or exhilarates.

Origin of cordial

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cordiālis, equivalent to Latin cordi- (stem of cor ) “heart” + -ālis adjective suffix; see heart, -al1

Other words for cordial

Other words from cordial

  • cor·dial·ly, adverb
  • cor·dial·ness, noun
  • pre·cor·dial, adjective
  • qua·si-cor·dial, adjective
  • su·per·cor·dial, adjective
  • su·per·cor·dial·ness, noun
  • un·cor·dial, adjective
  • un·cor·dial·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cordial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cordial

cordial

/ (ˈkɔːdɪəl) /


adjective
  1. warm and friendly: a cordial greeting

  2. giving heart; stimulating

noun
  1. a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunk: lime cordial

  2. another word for liqueur

Origin of cordial

1
C14: from Medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor heart

Derived forms of cordial

  • cordially, adverb
  • cordialness, noun

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