Cardinal Richelieu car·di·nal·richelieu uncommon noun 1. French prelate and statesman; principal minister to Louis XIII (1585-1642) SynonymsRichelieuDuc de RichelieuArmand Jean du PlessisCardinal Richelieu Related words Broader terms archprieststatesman WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.