1
as in source
a point or place at which something is invented or provided
historically, California has served as the fountainhead of that eclectic group of self-actualization movements known as the New Age
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2
as in origin
the source from which something grows or develops
a collection of lyrical ballads that became the fountainhead of a literary revolution
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Recent Examples of fountainhead
But what if, rather than a trickle of tech, the fountainhead itself comprised the car—a street-legal, limited-production Formula 1 model?
—
Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Trump’s aggressive acts were red meat for those who view California as the fountainhead of permissive behavior.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
On the day of the Belvedere's dedication, hundreds of students from Louisville schools released balloons into the sky and watched as fountainheads sprayed water in a dazzling display.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Mar. 2025
In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
This suggests that Americans will witness more than Band-Aid fixes, that with his election mandate and a Republican majority in Congress, Trump will overhaul the education system into a fountainhead of moral and academic excellence.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Nov. 2024
Boards rarely know how the company actually works: The CEO is usually the fountainhead of all information to the board.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
From tea drinking to persimmon cultivation, the city became a fountainhead of Japanese food culture.
—Megan Zhang, Saveur, 9 May 2024
The patriarch, the fountainhead, is Eli McCullough, born the same day that Texas became a state, a hard man forged through fire.
—Chris Vognar, Chron, 28 May 2023
Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Trump’s aggressive acts were red meat for those who view California as the fountainhead of permissive behavior.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
On the day of the Belvedere's dedication, hundreds of students from Louisville schools released balloons into the sky and watched as fountainheads sprayed water in a dazzling display.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Mar. 2025
In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
This suggests that Americans will witness more than Band-Aid fixes, that with his election mandate and a Republican majority in Congress, Trump will overhaul the education system into a fountainhead of moral and academic excellence.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 Nov. 2024
Boards rarely know how the company actually works: The CEO is usually the fountainhead of all information to the board.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
From tea drinking to persimmon cultivation, the city became a fountainhead of Japanese food culture.
—Megan Zhang, Saveur, 9 May 2024
The patriarch, the fountainhead, is Eli McCullough, born the same day that Texas became a state, a hard man forged through fire.
—Chris Vognar, Chron, 28 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fountainhead
Noun
-
With thousands of families afraid to leave their homes and with no source of income, mutual aid networks, large and small, ramped up to offer everything from food delivery to rent assistance to laundry service.—
Nick Woltman,
Twin Cities,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Two sources who attended the party described witnessing a loud verbal exchange between Nick Reiner and his parents.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
State police fire investigators and the state fire marshal's office were responding to support Taunton fire authorities to determine the origin and cause of the explosion, Wark said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The 18-course Devoro tasting menu (290 Euros, or around $340), which lasts three-and-a-half hours in the serving, is a fascinating fiesta of miniature dishes in which Salazar’s Andalusian origins mix and match with island inspirations.—
Paul Richardson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To achieve this, the team needed to cut away the original motor cradle at the rear of the Twizzy to accommodate the new gubbins.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The city is seen by intelligence services as the cradle of far-right activism in France.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mulch has many benefits in the garden, like retaining soil moisture, insulating roots, and deterring weeds.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Underneath the broad comedy, the sagging and the seeping, Meat Suit is about that sense of loss — or rather, of constant flux, root-level change that, in truth, is always going on in our physical and ephemeral selves, but that the upending jolt of parenthood brings right to the surface.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Designed to whisk you away to the Amalfi Coast (complete with striped awnings, Baroque accents, and the gentle murmur of a central working fountain), Patatino serves up classic, hearty plates that can be greedily gobbled solo or ordered in larger portions for sharing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
-
It’s expected to include amenities such as playgrounds, picnic areas, a pavilion and fountain.—
Aria Jones,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the picture, baby Elvis is wearing a battered but jaunty felt hat, the sunshine center of a family that also, at the beginning, had nothing.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The opening run of tracks is everything that critics have thrown at them from the beginning.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fountainhead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fountainhead. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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