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
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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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Discard the tired-looking center and separate clumps from the outer edges by hand or use a sharp knife or pruning saw.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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Public and private investors would develop the Gaza Strip into a center of tech innovation and tourism, with high-rises.—
Michele Chabin,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lisa, 28, wore a black maxi dress with cutouts, and paired the look with an extremely rare Hermès Birkin while in South Korea's capital city.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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At the club’s training ground in the Valdebebas district of the Spanish capital, both coaching staff and team-mates value the fact Ceballos can bring a style of play that is not so characteristic of the club’s other midfielders, more based on linking play.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Test yourself on melon meccas and revolutionary roots in this week's American Culture Quiz.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Over the years, Hvar has earned a reputation as a mecca for club-goers—a place for people to come dance until sunrise and then ride the ferry back to the mainland, still drunk and reeling from the night before.—
Ivana Rihter,
Vogue,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But the attacker re-aggravated his hamstring at the club’s training hub in Rush Green.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Picton Prince Edward County’s largest town, Picton, serves as a central hub for shops, galleries, and accommodations, including The Royal hotel and Slickers County Ice Cream.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The football landscape has changed 20 years on, and 10 new signings show United wanted to change the squad, but there is evident faith in retaining the nucleus of Farke’s 2025 centurions.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Very few heavier elements are present in the Sun’s photosphere, and hence cosmic rays are extraordinarily unlikely to hit them, being much more likely to hit a proton, electron, or a helium nucleus.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This is not a condemnation; there are bad brains and there are good navels.—
Sloane Crosley,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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Men should cover their bodies from the navel to the knees — while women must cover their entire body aside from face and hands.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Just a stone’s throw from the United Center, the locus of the last time Democrats were even close to happy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
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And, often, these reasons will be outside of your locus of control.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Omphalos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omphalos. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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