The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

himself when he wants to go out. 16 protagonist, hero or
heroine, leading or starring role or part, leading or lead actor
or actress, leading lady or man, male or female lead, principal;
prima donna, diva, prima ballerina, premiŠre danseuse, premier
danseur: She has the lead in the new production of Giselle .
17 wire, cable, Brit flex: Connect this lead to the power
source.
--adj. 18 leading, foremost, first; main, chief, principal,
premier, paramount: The lead climber fell when the rope broke.
The lead story in today's paper is about an American take-over
bid for the longest-standing British car-manufacturing company.
leaden adj. 1 heavy, onerous, ponderous, dense, burdensome:
Exhausted, he dragged his leaden feet to the next meeting. 2
heavy, dull, numbing, oppressive: I was happy to escape the
leaden atmosphere of the theatre. 3 grey, dull, dingy, gloomy,
glowering, lowering, dreary, dismal, oppressive, dark, sullen,
sombre: The leaden sky seemed to forebode disaster as he fled
across the moor. 4 inert, lifeless, listless, sluggish,
inanimate, inactive, lethargic, languid, languorous, torpid,
spiritless, stagnant, static, dormant, soporific, sleepy: The
refugees trudged along at a leaden pace.
leader n. 1 chief, head, commander, ruler, superior, director,
chairman, chairwoman, chairlady, chairperson, chieftain,
captain, commandant, principal, Colloq boss, bossman, kingpin,
big cheese, number one, numero uno, Brit gaffer, Chiefly US Mr
Big, Slang US the man: The police can identify the leader of
the gang. The leader of the assembly is elected for a year. 2
bandmaster, band leader, director, US and Canadian conductor,
bandleader, concert-master: The leader tapped his baton for
silence.
leadership
n. direction, guidance, management, directorship,
administration, supervision, command, regulation, control,
operation, influence, initiative; governorship, superintendence,
running: The company made huge profits under Katherine's
leadership. The leadership of the country at this time was in
the hands of the privileged class.
leading adj. 1 important, influential, chief, prime, cardinal,