Cardinal
Cardinal adjective - Coming before all others in importance.
Usage example: the cardinal rule of medicine: do no harm
First is a synonym for cardinal in important topic. In some cases you can use "First" instead an adjective "Cardinal", when it comes to topics like principal, main, fundamental. popular alternative
Nearby Words: cardinally, cardinality
First
First adjective - Coming before all others in importance.
Usage example: there are a number of reasons we can't go, but the first is that we don't have the money
Cardinal is a synonym for first in characteristic topic. You can use "Cardinal" instead an adjective "First", if it concerns topics such as main, important, key, elementary. popular alternative
Nearby Word: firstly
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
First and Cardinal. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cardinal/first
Cardinal & First. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cardinal/first>.
First or Cardinal. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cardinal/first.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cardinal" and "first" have occurred on timeline