cadre

noun

cad·re ˈka-ˌdrā

ˈkä-

-drē;

especially British ˈkä-də,

ˈkā-,

-drə

Synonyms of cadre next

: a nucleus or core group especially of trained personnel able to assume control and to train others

broadly : a group of people having some unifying relationship

a cadre of lawyers

a cadre of technicians

: a cell of indoctrinated leaders active in promoting the interests of a revolutionary party

: a member of a cadre

: frame, framework

… the current specialisms and cadres of our university curricula …—

H. M. McLuhan

Did you know?

A wise man named Huey Lewis once sang that “it’s hip to be square.” As lexicographers—a hip cadre if ever there was one—we heartily agree with this sentiment, not least because the song (as performed by Lewis and his trusted cadre of bandmates dubbed “the News”) prompts us to ponder an etymological descendent (via French and Italian) of the Latin word for square, quadrum: cadre. Squares being a logical and standard shape for frames (as of window and picture varieties), it’s easy to understand why French speakers and later English speakers adopted cadre as a word meaning “frame.” A sense of cadre referring to a metaphorical framework for something (such as a novel or curriculum) soon developed. And if you consider a group of officers in a military regiment as the framework that holds things together for the unit, you’ll understand how yet another sense of cadre, referring to a nucleus of trained personnel, arose. Military leaders and their troops are well-trained and work together as a unified team, which may explain why cadre is now sometimes used more generally to refer to any group of people who have some kind of unifying characteristic—such as a belief in the heart of rock and roll, or perhaps the power of love.

Examples of cadre in a Sentence

claims that the problem will never be solved within the existing cadre of the state bureaucracy

Recent Examples on the Web

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There are privateers and those who spend smaller dollars, with some help of sponsors, but it is largely populated by multi-million-dollar teams; some have private chefs, massage therapists, a cadre of engineers, and a media contingent. —

Sue Mead, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2025 Director Scott Derrickson and a cadre of craftsmen elevate the narrative’s basic level, delivering a fun thrill ride. —

Courtney Howard, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025 The bulk of the ComEd allegations, however, centered on a cadre of Madigan allies who were paid a total of $1.3 million from 2011 through 2019 through allegedly do-nothing consulting contracts. —

Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025 The relatively steady labor market now appears to be approaching some obstacles in the road, with a pullback in hiring, a high interest rate environment and a cadre of sweeping policy actions from the White House. —

Alexandra Banner, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cadre