as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
during the Vietnam War the university's campus effectively became the area's omphalos for antiwar activity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of omphalos
While the temples have crumbled, seeing the omphalos gave me goose bumps, and left me awe-struck over Delphi’s sublime place in history.
—
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omphalos
Noun
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It’ll be deployed to Google DeepMind and Hyundai’s Robotics Metaplant Applications center in the coming months, and additional customers will adopt it in early 2027.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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This path begins with choosing leaders who will put principle over politics and ideology, with a promise to focus on the middle class as the center of every policy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Though Andrea was found guilty of capital murder in 2002, her conviction was reversed.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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And investments are only expected to grow, with Goldman Sachs reporting that AI companies are estimated to invest more than $500 billion in capital expenditures this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Frequenting some of the city’s smaller concert venues that help Chicago thrive as a live-music mecca.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Furano, Japan Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, is a powder mecca.—
Jen Murphy,
Outside,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Food hubs can increase local food access by aggregating food products from small to mid-sized farms and distributing them to underserved communities, schools, hospitals and retail stores.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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The flight originated in Alexandria, Louisiana, home to the largest deportation hub in the United States, then made a stop in Atlanta, and continued south to Tapachula, according to ICE Flight Monitor, which tracks ICE flight data on behalf of Human Rights First, an advocacy group.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Comets tend to be at their brightest around perihelion, when the increase in solar heating causes icy material in their central coma to vaporize and feed the envelope of gas surrounding the solid nucleus.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These topical patches stick to the back of your ear or around your navel and release a natural blend of essential oils to relieve nausea.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Jan. 2026
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The pop star walked the red carpet in a sleek, slim-fit black Tom Ford spring 2026 suit, which featured a navel-grazing plunging neckline and scarf detail—so far, so very modern Miley Cyrus.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Ben Hania’s interest is in how the women got there, searching for the locus through interviews with the mother and younger children.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
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Only when the mind, rather than the body or the soul, was seen as the true locus of danger did confinement become the preferred solution.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Omphalos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omphalos. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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