1
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
with an unwavering commitment to equal rights for all as his only cynosure
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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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Example Sentences
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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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Consistency reassures your stakeholders that your compass has not changed, even if the landscape has.—
Eric Reicin,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
The compass is pointing straight north after a 10-win season, something felt in the huddle and on every snap with Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 June 2025
Noun
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The shifting narratives reflect the anxiety of Angelenos amid ICE raids targeting immigrants at Home Depots, churches and retail centers.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
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Four detainees have escaped from a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey, which has been the center of protests since its opening in May and where both a sitting congresswoman and Newark’s mayor have been arrested.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Noun
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His regular-season numbers are astonishing, but so are his postseason stats… in the opposite direction.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
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Holden praised Indicator, citing their focused direction and curation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 June 2025
Noun
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The century-old hotel is famous for its Spanish colonial revival design, and longtime denizens still proudly reference its history as a mecca of Black music after World War II, when the likes of James Brown and Billie Holiday played its famous club.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
2 June 2025
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Known as a mecca for watersports, everyone pauses to bask in the brilliant purples, pinks, and oranges that splash into the sky as the late afternoon transitions to evening.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
Noun
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The unusually large influx of immigrants in detention meant a backlog was created at the office in Burlington, causing people arrested on an immigration violation to be held for days in a facility unequipped for the purpose, according to lawyers for the detainees.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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The vast majority of university endowments are restricted to specific purposes such as scholarships, professorships and other academic programs.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Advertisement Iran’s fate will, and should, be written by Iranians—not in foreign capitals or closed rooms, but on their own streets, with their own voices, and through their own struggle.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
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The strikes wounded at least 177 others in the Ukrainian capital, according to officials.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Modest improvements to the weakest link usually yield more value than myopic focus on perfecting a single, siloed initiative.—
James Blake,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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The administration's focus on worksite enforcement has mostly left the agriculture sector alone.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
16 June 2025
Noun
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Shockley, for instance, worked at Bell Labs, a mid-century hub that invented the modern solar cell and the first portable operating system.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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Demonstrations took place in hundreds of U.S. cities, according to Reuters, with large-scale gatherings reported in major hubs such as Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cynosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynosure. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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