cadre

noun

cad·​re ˈka-ˌdrā How to pronounce cadre (audio) ˈkä- How to pronounce cadre (audio)
-drē;
 especially British  ˈkä-də,
ˈkā-,
-drə
1
: 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
2
: a cell of indoctrinated leaders active in promoting the interests of a revolutionary party
3
: a member of a cadre
4
: 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 Maine’s rapid adoption is being spurred by a combination of state rebates on top of federal incentives and a new cadre of vendors and installers, as well as mounting frustrations over the high cost of heating oil. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Putting the legal dispute aside, the emails released by OpenAI show a powerful cadre of tech entrepreneurs founding an organization that has grown to immense power. Will Knight, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 An expert romantic comedy that tracks a cadre of Southern Californian lonely hearts, Crazy Stupid, Love benefits from a cast filled to the brim with acting greats. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Yep, the cadre of male scientists weren't killed by mystical forces. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024 The rectangular room was teeming with military cadre, the officers responsible for training the units. Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2024 Exceptions were made for the advent of the pill, greater access to higher education, and a pioneering cadre of legal activists then exploiting the legislation and court rulings of the civil-rights movement to advance women’s liberation. James Rosen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 His family and allies have otherwise been annihilated by a rival aristocratic house called the Harkonnens, a hairless, pitiless cadre of fascists. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 United Artists was formed more than a century ago by a cadre of film luminaries, including Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cadre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian quadro, from Latin quadrum square — more at quarrel

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of cadre was in 1763

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Dictionary Entries Near cadre

Cite this Entry

“Cadre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cadre. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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