leading light

A person who is well-respected and viewed as important to a group. As a leading light of the human rights organization, he helped improve working conditions for millions of people around the world.

leading light

An important or influential individual, as in Jim was a leading light in his community. This expression, alluding to moral guidance, dates from about 1870, but terms such as a shining light have been used for an outstanding person since the first half of the 1500s.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Terhi	TER-hee	Finnish
Eliphelet	i-LIF-ə-let (English), ee-LIF-ə-let (English)	Biblical
Corey	KAWR-ee	English
Celandine	SEL-ən-deen	English (Rare)
Charis	KAR-is (English)	Ancient Greek, English (Rare)
Coleen	kah-LEEN	English