as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
during the Vietnam War the university's campus effectively became the area's omphalos for antiwar activity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of omphalos
While the temples have crumbled, seeing the omphalos gave me goose bumps, and left me awe-struck over Delphi’s sublime place in history.
—
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omphalos
Noun
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Einav Zangauker, center, the mother of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker, celebrates at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv today.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
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China places export controls on rare earth minerals The new rules curb the supply chain for the semiconductors that are used in phones, computers, AI data centers, cars, solar panels, and other IT kit.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But there have been signs that Kim has spent months preparing for a major parade in the capital Pyongyang, potentially at night and involving tens of thousands of people, according to the South Korean military.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Oct. 2025
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What to do in Glasgow Glasgow’s reputation as Scotland’s gritty second city—compared to the regal, castle-on-a-hill status of Edinburgh, the country’s capital—has been changing lately, thanks to sprawling parks, boundary-pushing museums, and a dining scene that punches far above its weight.—
Chris Dong,
AFAR Media,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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New York City remains the cocktail mecca of the Americas, with four Big Apple bars making this year’s list, including the East Village’s Superbueno (rising 15 places to 12), the West Village’s Sip & Guzzle (39), the Lower East Side’s Double Chicken Please (41), and FiDi’s Overstory (46).—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
9 Oct. 2025
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Make no mistake, though, this footballing mecca, where the turnstiles closed for the final time 25 years ago this week, was a truly special place.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Additional air travel delays and cancellations are possible Monday for major hubs like Washington, DC, New York City and Boston.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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The company was founded in 1948 in Civitanova Marche — one of Italy’s main shoes manufacturing hubs — by Giuseppe and Cecilia Paciotti, Cesare and Paola’s parents.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As sunlight heats that nucleus, the ice vaporizes, releasing jets of gas and dust that form the comet's signature tail.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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For the study, Ruotsalainen measured the Q values of two double-beta decaying and one beta-decaying nucleus.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
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Stay here for several breaths, sending the tailbone high, gazing toward the navel, and pressing your heels gently toward the mat.—
Julia Eskins,
Outside,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In recent years, Oklahoma has emerged as a pop-cultural locus for America’s hidden racial sins.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Just a stone’s throw from the United Center, the locus of the last time Democrats were even close to happy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Omphalos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omphalos. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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