cordial

1 of 2

adjective

cor·dial ˈkȯr-jəl

Synonyms of cordial

: showing or marked by warm and often hearty friendliness, favor, or approval

a cordial welcome

: politely pleasant and friendly

two nations maintaining cordial relations

: sincerely or deeply felt

a cordial dislike for each other

: tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate

bottles full of excellent cordial waters—Daniel Defoe

obsolete : of or relating to the heart : vital

cordially

ˈkȯrj-lē

ˈkȯr-jə-

adverb

cordialness

ˈkȯr-jəl-nəs

noun

cordial

2 of 2

noun

: liqueur

: a stimulating medicine or drink

Did you know?

The Latin root cord- (or cor) is at the heart of the connection between cordial, concord (meaning “harmony”), and discord (meaning “conflict”). Cord- means “heart,” and each of these cord- descendants has something to do with the heart, at least figuratively. Concord, which comes from com- (meaning “together” or “with”) plus -cord, suggests that one heart is with another. Discord combines the prefix dis- (meaning “apart”) with -cord to imply that hearts are apart. Hundreds of years ago, cordial could mean simply “of or relating to the (literal) heart” (the -ial is simply an adjective suffix) but today anything described as cordial—be it a friendly welcome, a compliment, or an agreement—comes from the heart in a figurative sense. Cordial is also used as a noun to refer to a usually sweet liqueur, the name being inspired by the idea that a cordial invigorates the heart.

Choose the Right Synonym for cordial

gracious, cordial, affable, genial, sociable mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse.

gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration.

the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues

cordial stresses warmth and heartiness.

our host was cordial as he greeted us

affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals.

though wealthy, she was affable to all

genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality.

a genial companion with a ready quip

sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others.

sociable people who enjoy entertaining

Examples of cordial in a Sentence

Adjective … Conrad Black was cordial and not the least rumbustious. —Calvin Trillin, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2001

Though its chairman, Charles Obi, was cordial to him, the others made it clear that they didn't want him. —Ishmael Reed, Japanese by Spring, 1993

My reception was cordial enough … —Robert Frost 7 Jan. 1913, in Selected Letters of Robert Frost, edited by Lawrance Thompson, 1964

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

This expansion of cooperation in Israel’s energy security with Azerbaijan – a secular state with a Muslim Shi’a majority, builds on over thirty years of cordial relations and joint projects in defense, energy, culture, air transportation, and foreign policy. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 Like the fictional character, Suchet is a genial, cordial and elegantly enthusiastic companion and guide. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025

Noun

To wit, cordials, shrubs and kombuchas are all made in-house, inspired by seasonality. —Brad Japhe, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025 There was bad news for American whiskey, however, which was down by nearly two percent (more than $5 billion) and cordials (down 3.6 percent). —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cordial

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English cordiall "of the heart, cardiac, invigorating, deeply felt," borrowed from Medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cord-, cor "heart" + -iālis -ial

Noun

Middle English, "stimulating substance," borrowed from Medieval Latin cordiāle, noun derivative from neuter of cordiālis "of the heart, invigorating" — more at cordial entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of cordial was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century