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
The Celtic cynosure in the 100-96 triumph, Tatum logged a team-best 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists while scoring 7 vital fourth-quarter points.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2022
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
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
The Celtic cynosure in the 100-96 triumph, Tatum logged a team-best 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists while scoring 7 vital fourth-quarter points.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2022
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynosure
Noun
-
In ordinary magnetic materials, unpaired electrons behave like tiny compasses and eventually align with one another.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Grab the pair in a dark blue wash similar to the one Larter is wearing, like compass, blackout, or rivers edge.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Imagine a world where all of our cars run on clean solar – ditto for our HVAC systems – and even our AI friends run on solar powered data centers.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In one of the largest mass abductions targeting religious worship centers in the West African nation in recent months, the attackers on Sunday raided three different churches in Kaduna state's Kajuru council area, seizing 177 people before 11 managed to escape.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For once, things appear to be moving in the right direction in the injury department.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The poll shows that 47% of Marylanders believe the state is headed in the right direction, but 44% say the state is headed in the wrong direction.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The winery is only a half-hour drive from Alba, a gastronomic mecca that is the epicenter of Piedmontese cuisine and white truffles.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Indeed, hospitals in New York City, on average, were worse staffed than hospitals in the rest of the state, ironic and troubling given the city’s reputation as a mecca for medical care.—
Linda H. Aiken,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a consumer environment growing increasingly skeptical, leading with purpose and transparency builds trust and authority that will compound over time.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In a prepared speech, Kristi Noem lied about the events, claiming Alex Pretti approached agents with a firearm, and that Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, came for the sole purpose of murder.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Once the ad-tech infrastructure is established, ad revenue becomes highly scalable and incurs low incremental costs, unlike the capital-heavy content creation process.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In both instances, Copenhagen and the Greenlandic government in its capital Nuuk responded by expressing openness to further collaboration, stressing the importance of sovereignty and dispatching a high-level delegation for talks in Washington.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Barra says the focus now is on making cars more affordable, incorporating artificial intelligence and new technology like Google Gemini to make the vehicles safer and appealing to the consumer.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Retail stores, bars and restaurants have been transformed into mutual aid hubs.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
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Sitting in the heart of northeast Minneapolis's business district, the coffee shop has become a hub for people opposing ICE.—
Reg Chapman,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cynosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosure. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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