Meaning & use
ordinal
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounmathematics
Showing the place of something in a sequence, such as first, second or third.
Grammar: Used before nouns: an ordinal number.
Patterns
- an ordinal number
First and second are ordinal numbers.
The table uses ordinal rankings to show finishing order.
In the list, each item has an ordinal position.
nouncountablemathematics
A number that tells position in a series, such as seventh or twentieth.
Grammar: Has a plural: ordinals.
Patterns
- an ordinal such as third
Third is an ordinal, while three is a cardinal.
Students learned to write ordinals like 21st and 22nd.
The sentence used an ordinal to name the winner's place.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Describing data that can be ranked in order but whose gaps between ranks are not equal.
Grammar: Used in statistics: ordinal data, ordinal scale.
Patterns
- ordinal data
- ordinal scale
Satisfaction ratings from poor to excellent are ordinal data.
The survey measured pain on an ordinal scale.
Ordinal variables can be ranked but not averaged simply.
Word forms
| plural noun | ordinals |
|---|
Common combinations
- ordinal number
- Fifth is an ordinal number.
- ordinal scale
- The test used an ordinal scale from one to five.
- ordinal data
- Ordinal data can be ranked.
- ordinal position
- Each word has an ordinal position in the list.
- ordinal ranking
- The ordinal ranking placed her second.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ranked
- Ranked says something is placed in order, while ordinal names the kind of number or data used.
- sequential
- Sequential means following one after another in time or order, whereas ordinal names position.
- numbered
- Numbered just means given a number and does not say anything about position as ordinal does.
Opposites
Word family
- order noun
- the arrangement of things in sequence
- ordinal number noun
- number showing position
- ordinality noun
- the quality of being ordered
- ordinarily adverb
- normally, from a different word
Commonly confused: ordinal or ordinary? ordinal or cardinal?
ordinal vs ordinary
Ordinary means normal and has nothing to do with number order, though it looks similar.
ordinal vs cardinal
Cardinal numbers show how many (3); ordinal numbers show which place (3rd).
Practice
Which of these is an ordinal number?
Choose one answer.
Fourth shows position in a series. Seven, hundred and dozen show quantity, so they are cardinal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ordinal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.