Definition of Cadre
(noun) A small group of influential people that lead a larger organization; nucleus.
Examples of Cadre
- A small group of highly trained people in an organization that directs technological development.
- A few people in social movement that organize and guide it.
- Political “movers and shakers” determined who would be nominated for local office.
Cadre Pronunciation
Syllabification: ca·dre
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kA-dray/
- British English – /kAHd-ruh/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈkædri/
- British English – /ˈkɑːdə/
Usage Notes
- Plural: cadres
- Often a cadre formed the initial organization and trains others reproducing their worldview.
- Also called cell.
Additional Information
- Word origin of “cadre” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Skotheim, Robert Allen. 1971. Totalitarianism and American Social Thought. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Farlex. (N.d.) TheFreeDictionary.com: Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus. Farlex. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Reference. (http://www.oxfordreference.com/).
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Cadre
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cadre.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 25, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/cadre/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
cadre. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/cadre/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cadre.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/cadre/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“cadre.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/cadre/>.