1
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
with an unwavering commitment to equal rights for all as his only cynosure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
that company is the cynosure for anyone wishing to make it in the music business
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Recent Examples of cynosure
The former played the role of cynosure for the neophytes of the new high society, the latter remaining the bastion of genteel estates and social exclusivity.
—
JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
From these beginnings, the Voice grew into a cynosure of the counterculture.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The film’s screenplay, co-written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki, finds its metaphoric cynosure in the Japanese concept of komorebi, which describes the play of light and shadow through the leaves of a tree, every shimmering moment unique.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
Past the age of fifty, the supple cynosure of the salons turned into something of a tottering wreck.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
MotoGP is the cynosure for those drawn to the heady blend of terror and enticement that defines the quest to go mind-numbingly fast.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
The setting had all the elements of a stirring, emotional clash: an underlying sense of betrayal, accusations of soulless greed, the prospect of transformative change and a popular, beloved figure trapped in the cynosure of the firestorm.
—Bill Pennington, New York Times, 16 June 2022
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
It will be called the Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Fund.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
From these beginnings, the Voice grew into a cynosure of the counterculture.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The film’s screenplay, co-written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki, finds its metaphoric cynosure in the Japanese concept of komorebi, which describes the play of light and shadow through the leaves of a tree, every shimmering moment unique.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
Past the age of fifty, the supple cynosure of the salons turned into something of a tottering wreck.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
MotoGP is the cynosure for those drawn to the heady blend of terror and enticement that defines the quest to go mind-numbingly fast.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
The setting had all the elements of a stirring, emotional clash: an underlying sense of betrayal, accusations of soulless greed, the prospect of transformative change and a popular, beloved figure trapped in the cynosure of the firestorm.
—Bill Pennington, New York Times, 16 June 2022
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
It will be called the Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital Fund.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynosure
Noun
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Values act as both a compass and a driving force, pointing you toward the right goals and motivating you to pursue them.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Alignment lasers and the ship’s gyro-compass ensured the rotors were plumb and correctly oriented.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In sixth inning, Villa Park tied the score 2-2 on a two-out infield single by speedy center fielder Shea Gonzalez.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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Iran has also conducted drone strikes that damaged data centers in the region that are owned by Amazon Web Services, which operates the world’s largest cloud platform—high-value targets with major financial and operational ramifications.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Sixers’ Nick Nurse is widely believed to be under pressure too, meaning Sunday’s loss to Boston, which put them in a 3-1 hole, qualifies as a step in the wrong direction.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
As the Moon moves through your 11th House of Friends, collaboration brings fresh direction.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Houston is a mecca for high-calorie delicious meals.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Mack Lewis Gym, which is a huge boxing mecca.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized that a major purpose of the federal law is to provide uniformity.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Here, sheep can’t solve crimes until human incompetence forces them to step into the breach; though pushed for the purposes of fantasy, the limits of animal intelligence are a poignant factor in the tale.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thanks to their Thursday-night maneuvering, the Niners now possess the extra draft capital necessary to package some picks and jump back up to grab another Top 50 prospect.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Saudis wanted to attract Western business, and to have Riyadh supplant Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the Middle East’s economic capital.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Geopolitics aside, central bank meetings are a key focus as the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and peers in Japan, the UK and Canada are all scheduled to decide on policy.—
Ashutosh Joshi,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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Getting Point and Kucherov going There’s been a lot of focus on Montreal’s top line and its offensive struggles at five-on-five in this series.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The city’s brand — a safe, efficient, business-friendly hub for capital, tourism, logistics, and talent — was suddenly under scrutiny from investors, multinational executives, and residents who had chosen to build their businesses and lives there.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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The royal, 43, made the trip to highlight the hub's approach to electrification, innovation and sustainability.—
Helen Murphy,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cynosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosure. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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