polestars

noun

plural of polestar
as in directions
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle under the polestar of progress, urban renewal programs gutted the historic districts of many cities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for polestars
  1. directions
  2. compasses
  3. purposes
  4. foci
  5. lodestars
Noun
  • Decide which issue is genuinely urgent before letting both sides pull you in different directions.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The barrier is knowledge, in both directions The obstacle isn’t market access.
    — Barrett Bingley, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of directions
Noun
  • The prevailing motifs include Anglo-American boarding schools and college campuses, accoutrements with a romantic aura (billowing sleeves, melting candles), and analog artifacts (old compasses, monocles).
    — Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026
  • So many role-playing games spoonfeed you with compasses and waypoints and fourth-wall-breaking warnings.
    — Alex James Kane, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Definition of compasses
Noun
  • Around for decades, red-light therapy has traditionally been used to treat chronic muscle and joint pain and various injuries, and has shown cosmetic benefits for skin and facial care, purposes for which it’s cleared by the FDA.
    — Mirin Fader, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • One of the Constitution’s founding purposes was to prevent change.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of purposes
Noun
  • Both inflation and the jobs market have been key focuses for Wall Street and the Federal Reserve.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Our Walks & Treks tours are one of our most popular tour types, however tours with culinary focuses are quickly gaining popularity.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of foci
Noun
  • Over succeeding decades, both Sellars and Salonen have been Salzburg Festival lodestars.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
  • But in swapping out just four tracks, FKA twigs finally brought planet EUSEXUA into the orbit of her late-’90s pop lodestars.
    — Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
Definition of lodestars
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

polestar
polestars
police
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Polestars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polestars. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All