adj. 1
Hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
I have a cordial dislike for arachnids.
adj. 2
Radiating warmth and friendliness; genial.
adj. 3
Tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate; giving strength or spirits.
n. 1
A concentrated non-carbonated soft drink which is diluted with water before drinking.

Related words

Word family: cordiality cordially cordialness
Is a kind of: liqueur

Forms

Plural: cordials → squashes, liqueurs, elixirs, balms…

Choose the right word

Cordial, Companionable, Sociable, Genial, Favorable or Neighborly?

Companionable and sociable refer to manner and behavior, cordial and genial express genuine kindliness of heart. We speak of a cordial greeting, a favorable reception, a neighborly call, a sociable visitor, an amicable settlement, a kind interest, a friendly regard, a hearty welcome.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

friendly My boyfriend is smart, handsome, and friendly too.
amicable I'm still hoping there'll be an amicable agreement.
amiable She is not only beautiful but also amiable.
affable Many extroverted people are at least somewhat affable.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
cordial		falling
friendly		rising
amicable		steady
amiable		steady
affable		rising
heartful		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: dear¹, warm¹, balm¹
6 letters: loving², kindly², squash¹, hearty², ardent², elixir³, genial²
7 letters: sincere², earnest², amiable⁴, liqueur², affable³
8 letters: friendly², familiar³, grateful², pleasant², profound², pleasing², gracious², renewing³, amicable⁴, heartful
9 letters: brotherly³, congenial³
10 letters: refreshing³, harmonious⁴, affectious
11 letters: restorative⁴
12 letters: affectionate⁴, invigorating⁵

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (loving² = 2 syllables).