Synonyms of lodestar

lodestar

noun

ˈlōd-ˌstär 

variants also loadstar

as in compass

a guiding or motivating purpose or principle

a society seemingly with unbridled greed as its only lodestar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compass
• direction
• polestar
• purpose
• focus
• cynosure
• touchstone
• criterion
• standard
• objective
• goal
• yardstick
• benchmark
• measure
• intention
• par
• object
• aspiration
• aim
• ambition
• grade
• target
• dream
• mark

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lodestar

Like many other states, Washington law provides that the reasonableness of an attorney fee award should be determined by something called the lodestar method. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Over succeeding decades, both Sellars and Salonen have been Salzburg Festival lodestars. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

The event, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, is a lodestar of the region’s burgeoning arts scene. — News Desk, Artforum, 19 Mar. 2026

Pop The rapper turned pop star Lizzo felt like a lodestar of the twenty-tens Zeitgeist. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026

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