Explanation

The term "Doctor" refers to an individual who has attained the highest level of academic achievement in their field, typically by completing a doctoral program, such as a Ph.D. or an Ed.D. In academic contexts, a doctorate signifies rigorous study, research, and mastery of a specific discipline, culminating in the defense of a dissertation or thesis. This distinction sets holders of doctoral degrees apart from others in the educational hierarchy, as they are recognized as experts in their respective areas of study.

Contrastingly, the other options provided do not fit the description as precisely. A "Professor" typically refers to a faculty member who has been granted a title to teach at a university level and might hold a doctoral degree but is not synonymous with the highest degree itself. "Graduate" signifies someone who has completed a degree, but it could refer to any level of education, such as an undergraduate or a master’s degree. "Cardinal" is unrelated to academic degrees and typically refers to a high-ranking official in certain religious contexts or as a form of numerical categorization. Therefore, in the context of the question, "Doctor" is the most appropriate term for the holder of the highest university degree.