Cadmium ion-imprinted polymers (Cd-IIP) were synthesized by precipitation polymerization using a complex of dithizone and cadmium as a template. The saturation adsorption capacity of the Cd-IIP is two times that of the nonimprinted polymers (Cd-NIP). Homogeneous binding sites are confirmed by the Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption kinetics fit a pseudo-second-order model well; and the adsorption equilibrium time is only approximately 20 mm The effect of coexisting ions on the Cd(II)-IIP and NIP were investigated by competing with Pb(II), Co(II), and Cu(II), and the ratio of relative selectivity coefficients was greater than 1.68. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that Cd(II) adsorption over UP and NIP was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The enthalpy changes in different temperatures and adsorption energy are lower than -20.0 and 8 kJ/mol; respectively. These indicate that the adsorption process may be dominated by physisorption. The Cd-IIP was used for five cycles with a small decrease in adsorption capacity, which validated a significant potential of Cd-IIP in wastewater treatment.