1
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
with an unwavering commitment to equal rights for all as his only cynosure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
that company is the cynosure for anyone wishing to make it in the music business
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Recent Examples of cynosure
From these beginnings, the Voice grew into a cynosure of the counterculture.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The film’s screenplay, co-written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki, finds its metaphoric cynosure in the Japanese concept of komorebi, which describes the play of light and shadow through the leaves of a tree, every shimmering moment unique.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
Past the age of fifty, the supple cynosure of the salons turned into something of a tottering wreck.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
MotoGP is the cynosure for those drawn to the heady blend of terror and enticement that defines the quest to go mind-numbingly fast.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
The setting had all the elements of a stirring, emotional clash: an underlying sense of betrayal, accusations of soulless greed, the prospect of transformative change and a popular, beloved figure trapped in the cynosure of the firestorm.
—Bill Pennington, New York Times, 16 June 2022
The Celtic cynosure in the 100-96 triumph, Tatum logged a team-best 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists while scoring 7 vital fourth-quarter points.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2022
While the Sackler family, which owned Purdue, attracted intense national attention and became a cynosure of criticism after the company’s introduction of its blockbuster pill OxyContin, the Mallinckrodt brand slipped under the radar.
—Washington Post, 10 May 2022
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The film’s screenplay, co-written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki, finds its metaphoric cynosure in the Japanese concept of komorebi, which describes the play of light and shadow through the leaves of a tree, every shimmering moment unique.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2023
Past the age of fifty, the supple cynosure of the salons turned into something of a tottering wreck.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
MotoGP is the cynosure for those drawn to the heady blend of terror and enticement that defines the quest to go mind-numbingly fast.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2023
As their cynosure, Ernestine herself remains a cipher, full of portentous sayings but little real thought.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2022
The setting had all the elements of a stirring, emotional clash: an underlying sense of betrayal, accusations of soulless greed, the prospect of transformative change and a popular, beloved figure trapped in the cynosure of the firestorm.
—Bill Pennington, New York Times, 16 June 2022
The Celtic cynosure in the 100-96 triumph, Tatum logged a team-best 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists while scoring 7 vital fourth-quarter points.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 30 May 2022
While the Sackler family, which owned Purdue, attracted intense national attention and became a cynosure of criticism after the company’s introduction of its blockbuster pill OxyContin, the Mallinckrodt brand slipped under the radar.
—Washington Post, 10 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynosure
Noun
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Without a compass to explore a piece so strange as this one, most people seemed content to capture it all on their phones.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
4 Mar. 2025
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This means a traditional compass will not work there.—
Jake Parks,
Discover Magazine,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Ransomware is like a hard-drive failure in a server or storage array, a power outage at the office or data center or a localized or system-wide network outage.—
John Bruggeman,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Michelangelo lived and studied there, and the current complex, across the Arno river from the historic center of Florence, still houses the wooden crucifix carved by the Renaissance master for its basilica.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The home at 2195 Dias Dr. — which sits on nearly 99 acres with unobstructed views in every direction — is on the market for $2.25 million.—
David Caraccio,
Sacramento Bee,
15 Mar. 2025
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The orchestra has no music director to push it in this or that direction.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Carolinas’ food mecca of Charleston. California, then back. Management, failures and burnout.—
Jenny Hartley,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The celebrated Park Forest Plaza — one of the first suburban shopping malls in America, which had siphoned commerce from former shopping meccas such as downtown Chicago Heights — was one-upped in turn by Matteson’s indoor Lincoln Mall.—
Paul Eisenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Treasuries have been around for a long time, but their underlying purpose is debatable at best.—
DP Opinion,
The Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2025
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For recording purposes, some of the best models will continue to run on powerful personal computers.—
Nate Anderson,
Ars Technica,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Finnish goalie was on the other side of the Ullmark trade that brought the latter to Canada’s capital.—
Julian McKenzie,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Some improvements have already been made, but players continue to report that AI civs keep founding cities close to players’ capitals for no apparent reason, causing frustration.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Airdate: Thursday, March 13 (Peacock) Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Pinnock, Ashleigh Cummings, Callum Vinson, John Doman Showrunner: Nikki Toscano One of the shows starts extremely well, with its focus on that central relationship, but struggles in its second half.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
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The sketch comes as the sitting president continues to befuddle many Americans with his focus on tariffs and his platforming of Musk’s push to cut federal workers while stock prices continue to plunge.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While Georgia, Texas, California, New York, and Florida lead as the top states for engagement—with Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles as primary hubs—HillmanTok reaches users across all fifty states.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
12 Mar. 2025
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And this week, according to Amazon’s Movers and Shakers List (a hub that features the site’s trending products), shoppers are picking up a variety of time-saving gadgets and helpful tools for the kitchen.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to cynosure
Cite this Entry
“Cynosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosure. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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