cynosure

American  

[sahy-nuh-shoor, sin-uh-] / ˈsaɪ nəˌʃʊər, ˈsɪn ə- /

noun

1. something that strongly attracts attention by its brilliance, interest, etc..

   the cynosure of all eyes.

2. something serving for guidance or direction.

   Gandhi's life remains a cynosure for all of us.

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cynosure British  

/ ˈsɪnəˌzjʊə, -ʃʊə /

noun

1. a person or thing that attracts notice, esp because of its brilliance or beauty

2. something that serves as a guide

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Other Word Forms

• cynosural adjective

Etymology

Origin of cynosure

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin Cynosūra, from Greek Kynósoura the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Dipper), equivalent to kynós “dog's” (genitive of kýōn ) + ourá “tail”; hound ¹ ( def. ), ass ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Woods’s future as a competitive golfer is unclear, and the Masters marches on without the person at the cynosure of the tournament’s dominant narrative for nearly 25 years.

From New York Times

To his fans, Brady was more than the cynosure of a pro football powerhouse, he was a favorite son worthy of insular protection.

From New York Times

This was his moment and his stage — his first game back at MetLife, albeit against the Jets, since the March trade that ended Beckham’s five eventful years as the cynosure of mostly desultory Giants teams.

From New York Times

But esteeming Miró proved more than O.K., because he figured as a major prophet of Abstract Expressionism, still the cynosure of American greatness, which felt like a birthright to me.

From The New Yorker

For example, Radix Journal recently featured an article that “Martin Luther King Jr., a fraud and degenerate in his life, has become the symbol and cynosure of White Dispossession and the deconstruction of European civilization.”

From Salon

Related Words

• figure
• hero
• luminary
• personage
• personality
• someone
• star
• superstar