cordiality
Americannoun
-
cordialities
plural
-
cordial quality or feeling.
- Synonyms:
- heartiness, geniality, friendliness, warmth
-
an expression of cordial feeling.
noun
Usage
What does cordiality mean? Cordiality is the quality of being cordial—friendly and polite. Cordial is used to describe people and their behavior toward others in social situations, especially when they do not know each other well. A cordial greeting is a warm and friendly one, especially one intended to make someone feel welcome. When you treat people with cordiality, you treat them with a sincere friendliness and warmth. Example: Even when I don’t like my coworkers, I try to treat them with cordiality.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cordiality
Explanation
Cordiality is a characteristic of being friendly and agreeable. Your habit of smiling and saying hello to everyone you pass on the street is evidence of your cordiality. People who show cordiality are polite, kind, and pleasant, but the word implies a bit of reserve: you might appreciate the cordiality among the employees at your after-school job, but your relationships with your closest friends and family are characterized by an emotion deeper than cordiality. At the root of cordiality is the Latin word cor, or "heart."
Vocabulary lists containing cordiality
The Fire Next Time
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Persuasion
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"Old World Landowners" by Nikolai Gogol
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The museum confirmed the cordiality of their meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
The spat caused unease in a country with a tradition of political cordiality, even between ideological foes.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
The new cordiality was on display on Wednesday when Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Jeffries were spotted exiting the speaker’s office while engaged in a friendly and businesslike discussion.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
She thinks many World Cup fans that summer, including her, were struck by the overflowing cordiality, both of the organizers and the nation’s inhabitants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
“Mind if I sit down a minute?” the young man asked, with what seemed to be unlimited cordiality.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Silicon Valley is generally considered to have a laid back Californian culture, but behind all of the polite cordialities, there rests a necessary cutthroat attitude.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2015
After brief cordialities, Tenet got down to business.
From Time Magazine Archive
That morning she had received Penrose with the outward cordialities of welcome which are offered to an old and dear friend.
From The Black Robe by Wilkie Collins
From many a page what cordialities step forth to console and to fortify us; what divine depths we come upon; what sudden vistas of sunshine through tempest-shaken shadows; what bursts of splendor through nebulous mutterings.
From Essays Æsthetical by George H. (George Henry) Calvert
The two friends found themselves the object of one of those sudden cordialities that open all doors, even the most difficult, and run like a warm wave through London society.
From Lady Merton, Colonist by Mrs. Humphry Ward
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
