leading light
noun
: a prominent and influential member (as of a community or church)
Example Sentences
He is one of the leading lights of the labor movement.
Recent Examples on the Web James Van Der Zee, a leading light of the Harlem Renaissance, frequently manipulated negatives and assembled photomontages. 
Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Evidence supporting the previous claim is the wildly handsome pay enjoyed by private equity’s leading light. John Tamny, Forbes, 6 July 2022 Howe quickly became a leading light in what was dubbed the Studio Style, which originated at the school, elegantly arraying linear tribal motifs in negative space with sparing touches of color. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 4 July 2022 In 2020, the tech sector’s weight on the Moscow stock exchange had doubled to 8 percent, close to the European average, and Yandex had been its leading light. Paul Starobin, Wired, 22 Mar. 2022 Chet Holmgren is going to provide good rim protection and Drew Timme's leadership and experience will be a great leading light for this team. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2022 Eugene continues to be a leading light in the film community, and his leadership of NYFF has been transformative. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Mar. 2022 Many anticipated that this fifth edition of the festival would be different, given the shifting role of its co-founder and leading light, director Jia Zhangke. Rebecca Davis, Variety, 18 Oct. 2021 The prospects for his plan appear bright in a town that over the past quarter century has emerged as a leading light in the American West for its sustained, communitywide approach to wildfire prevention. Martin Kuz, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2021 See More
Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Evidence supporting the previous claim is the wildly handsome pay enjoyed by private equity’s leading light. John Tamny, Forbes, 6 July 2022 Howe quickly became a leading light in what was dubbed the Studio Style, which originated at the school, elegantly arraying linear tribal motifs in negative space with sparing touches of color. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 4 July 2022 In 2020, the tech sector’s weight on the Moscow stock exchange had doubled to 8 percent, close to the European average, and Yandex had been its leading light. Paul Starobin, Wired, 22 Mar. 2022 Chet Holmgren is going to provide good rim protection and Drew Timme's leadership and experience will be a great leading light for this team. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 14 Mar. 2022 Eugene continues to be a leading light in the film community, and his leadership of NYFF has been transformative. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Mar. 2022 Many anticipated that this fifth edition of the festival would be different, given the shifting role of its co-founder and leading light, director Jia Zhangke. Rebecca Davis, Variety, 18 Oct. 2021 The prospects for his plan appear bright in a town that over the past quarter century has emerged as a leading light in the American West for its sustained, communitywide approach to wildfire prevention. Martin Kuz, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1707, in the meaning defined above