omphalos

noun

ˈäm(p)-fə-ˌläs How to pronounce omphalos (audio)
Definition of omphalosnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of omphalos While the rest of the world was in its accustomed turmoil, the Press, for which Ireland was the omphalos of the universe, took scant notice. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 In front of me was a black ovoid stone, known as the omphalos, set on the spot in Greek mythology where two eagles loosed by Zeus crossed paths at the earth’s nexus. — 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
  1. center
  2. capital
  3. mecca
  4. hub
  5. nucleus
  6. navel
  7. locus
Noun
  • For years, hospitals have been buying and building outpatient centers, and then funneling more care to them.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • An institution built explicitly to neutralize biological catastrophes is now at the center of one.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of center
Noun
  • Otthon Centrum analyst Gábor Soóki-Tóth said Tihany is one of the most expensive places in Hungary to buy a vacation property — with prices outstripping those in the nation's capital.
    — Lucy Handley, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, who is stationed at Futenma Air Station, on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the island's capital city, Naha, early Saturday and stealing her wallet and backpack.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of capital
Noun
  • Named for the massive cliffs that stretch across 32 miles of shoreline, Calvert Cliffs is also a mecca for fossil hunters.
    — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But for lovers of all things sweet and creamy, Cheesecake Funk is today a veritable mecca for those in the know.
    — David Farley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of mecca
Noun
  • Not to be outdone, Celsius, another prominent energy drink, has partnered with ESPN to sponsor College GameDay, the hub of the let’s-have-fun-and-watch-TV-sports-all-day movement.
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • DriVe2X sees potential applications in mobility hubs, apartment buildings, and single-family houses.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of hub
Noun
  • In a smaller number of these interactions, a photon may not break apart the nucleus but strike only a nucleon, generating no ‘forward’ neutrons.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In the early 1930s, scientists were just beginning to discover the extraordinary world hidden inside the atom, which is made up of a dense center, called the nucleus, with electrons orbiting around it.
    — Andrea Richard, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of nucleus
Noun
  • The cut reaches right at the navel, offering structure to your waist and belly without hiking up to your ribcage.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Predictably, this set off a furious round of acrimonious criticism, know-it-all navel-gazing, and schadenfreude.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of navel
Noun
  • The Valley has, for many people who live there, gone from a white-collar paradise to a locus of high-stress workaholism and unaffordability.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • There are just fewer children that reside here, and that is not in our locus of control.
    — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of locus

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Cite this Entry

“Omphalos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omphalos. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on omphalos

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about omphalos

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