Meaning & use
cordially invite
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformal
to ask someone in a warm and polite way to come to an event
Grammar: Takes an object: cordially invite someone. Often used in the passive: You are cordially invited to...
Patterns
- cordially invite someone to something
- be cordially invited to something
The committee cordially invites all members to the annual dinner.
You are cordially invited to attend the opening of our new gallery.
They cordially invited us to their wedding, and we were happy to accept.
Common combinations
- cordially invited to
- All parents are cordially invited to the school concert.
- cordially invite you
- We cordially invite you to join us for lunch.
- cordially invite someone to attend
- The mayor cordially invites residents to attend the ceremony.
Synonyms and how they differ
- warmly invite
- Less formal and more emotional; it emphasizes friendliness rather than official politeness.
- request the pleasure of your company
- Even more formal and old-fashioned, used mostly on very traditional wedding invitations.
Word family
- cordial adjective
- friendly and warm in a polite way
- cordiality noun
- the quality of being warm and friendly
- cordially adverb
- in a warm and friendly way; also used to end formal letters
Commonly confused: cordially invite or cardinally?
cordially invite vs cardinally
Sounds similar but means 'in a very important or basic way', and is rare. It is not used for invitations.
Practice
Complete the invitation: 'You are ___ invited to the opening night.'
Choose one answer.
The adverb 'cordially' correctly modifies the passive verb 'invited'. 'Cordial' is an adjective and cannot modify 'invited', and 'cordially invite' would create a double verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cordially invite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.