as in centers
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a city that likes to regard itself as the nation's navel of art and culture
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Recent Examples of navels
This is not a condemnation; there are bad brains and there are good navels.
—
Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navels
Noun
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Tobacco parallels The Los Angeles trial centers on allegations made by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, and her mother that four social media giants intentionally designed addictive platforms that hooked her as a child and led to mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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Peppered with museums and cultural centers, as well as some ritzy retail, this corridor has turned into a swarming hub for locals and travelers—exactly as Rosewood’s Cheng family intended.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In November, the trip planning company released its list of the world's top cultural capitals.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Feb. 2026
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Berlin holds strong as one of Europe's reigning artistic and nightlife capitals.—
Diana Hubbell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These are effectively offshore hubs which are set up on behalf of international companies.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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Also known as 18b, a nod to the city’s original 18-block arts zoning designation, the area started as a small cluster of art studios and has grown into one of the city’s most dynamic creative hubs.—
Mackenzie Jervis,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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There are countless ways to wear hearts on your nails—this one uses shape.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
16 Feb. 2026
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The news warmed our hearts in the midst of this cold, dark and endless winter.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Others questioned Nabi’s main focuses while leading Coty, particularly the atypical tie-in with Orveda.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
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And similar to last year, one of the focuses will be on revitalizing and converting older buildings into modern office spaces, apartments and hotels.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Deciphering the unique infrared language these galactic nuclei speak.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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At that time, the universe was hot enough for quarks and gluons to move freely rather than being confined inside atomic nuclei.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As fans headed to the exits, the US stars stayed on the ice, skating around with their nation’s flag wrapped around them, their screams of delight heard from the seats at the back of the arena.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Voters will also choose an attorney general, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner, state superintendent of schools and two seats on the public service commission.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Navels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navels. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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