cynosures

noun

plural of cynosure
1
as in directions
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle with an unwavering commitment to equal rights for all as his only cynosure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in centers
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynosures
  1. directions
  2. centers
  3. compasses
  4. capitals
  5. purposes
  6. hubs
  7. foci
  8. meccas
Noun
  • Users can explore featuring different models, poses, backgrounds and visual directions.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 20 July 2026
  • While the driver struggles at the wheel, the rest of the crew must scout, scream directions to the driver and operate winches to pull the rig out of mud or dangle it over cliffs.
    — Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026
Definition of directions
Noun
  • Data centers The biggest policy divide of the night came on a question about data centers.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, in another corner of the AI economy, the world's largest technology companies have committed nearly $700 billion to build data centers in 2026 alone, on top of $380 billion the year before.
    — Nili Gilbert, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of centers
Noun
  • The prevailing motifs include Anglo-American boarding schools and college campuses, accoutrements with a romantic aura (billowing sleeves, melting candles), and analog artifacts (old compasses, monocles).
    — Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026
  • So many role-playing games spoonfeed you with compasses and waypoints and fourth-wall-breaking warnings.
    — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Definition of compasses
Noun
  • These may be restored heritage buildings in European capitals, villa collections overlooking crystalline waters, or—notably in 2025 and 2026—luxury lodges set in deserts, forests, and mountains.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • As protesters gathered each evening in Kyiv and other regional capitals, demanding both Fedorov's reinstatement and broader military reforms, the political pressure quickly mounted.
    — Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of capitals
Noun
  • Selfie videos can be used for login purposes, to verify your age for accessing certain account features, and to create an AI avatar.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026
  • The phrase joins two purposes of education that are often treated as rivals.
    — Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of purposes
Noun
  • TechFest facilitates internships and job placements, demonstrating HBCUs as vibrant innovation hubs.
    — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The award is one of six the EDA announced Monday as part of a roughly $169 million investment in six tech hubs nationwide.
    — Alexa Newsom, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026
Definition of hubs
Noun
  • Among the focuses will be communication, data, inflation, technology and the Fed's balance sheet.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 26 June 2026
  • Beyond family and football, Kane’s two main focuses, golf is the only other hobby that really moves him.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of foci
Noun
  • The fest is becoming a beacon for those who still pine for former jam meccas like Gathering of the Vibes, Wakarusa, Rothbury, and 10,000 Lakes.
    — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
  • With one day left to declare candidacy in the race for Los Angeles mayor, all eyes are on Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer behind outdoor shopping meccas like The Grove.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of meccas
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cynosure
cynosures
Cyrenaic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cynosures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosures. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All