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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Example Sentences
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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
While the Sackler family, which owned Purdue, attracted intense national attention and became a cynosure of criticism after the company’s introduction of its blockbuster pill OxyContin, the Mallinckrodt brand slipped under the radar.
—Washington Post, 10 May 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
While the Sackler family, which owned Purdue, attracted intense national attention and became a cynosure of criticism after the company’s introduction of its blockbuster pill OxyContin, the Mallinckrodt brand slipped under the radar.
—Washington Post, 10 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynosure
Noun
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Then, in the thirteenth century, refinements to an ancient technology, the compass, led to its widespread adoption by sailors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Lyra also has the ability to read an alethiometer, a marvelous magical device—the titular compass—that can answer any question, but only by way of arcane symbols.—
Lev Grossman,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
When the cremation center staff asked what happened, the partner admitted Aria had been killed by a larger dog.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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The concerns center on the potential enforcement of the state-wide ban on camping in public spaces ushered in by the Safer Kentucky Act, our Killian Baarlaer reports.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When the lines of a CME’s magnetic field and those of the Earth’s magnetic field are pointed in the opposite directions, the CME can unite with the Earth’s magnetosphere and fill it with vast quantities of solar energy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The contract was awarded at a time when the world was racing to field missiles that could change direction while traveling at several times the speed of sound.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After all, the Moroccan city is one of the world's great shopping meccas.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
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Swets, who has expertise with special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), formed Greenland Exploration with his investment and merchant banking firm, FG Nexus, and agreed to merge with March GL and find a suitable SPAC to take the company public.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Sea lines of communication, or SLOCs, are the principal maritime routes between ports used for trade, military or other purposes.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
To prove their point, the researchers analyzed 46 years’ worth of venture-capital startup investments, among other data points.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
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The project, called the MARS-V Project, is under development by MARS-V, a non-governmental organization based in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But a lot of focus on this week and clearly the White House was a bit concerned about this.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Oct. 2025
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Please check back for updates Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.—
Alexandra Koch , Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Multinational players such as PwC, Deloitte, Lenovo, and Siemens Energy have already relocated leadership operations from Dubai and other hubs to Riyadh.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cynosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosure. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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