leading — OAT

leading

adjective

1 he played the leading role in his team's narrow victory:

main, chief, major, prime, most significant, principal, foremost, key, supreme, paramount, dominant, superior, ruling, directing, guiding, controlling, essential, cardinal, central, focal;

momentous, noteworthy, notable;

informal number-one.

▷antonyms secondary, subordinate.

2 the leading industrially developed countries:

most powerful, most important, foremost, greatest, chief, outstanding, preeminent, richest, principal, dominant, most influential, most illustrious, paramount, top-tier, top-rank, of the first rank, first-rate.

▷antonyms minor, secondary; second-rate.

3 last season's leading scorer:

top, highest, best, first;

superlative, unsurpassed, unexcelled, front, in first place, lead, unparalleled, matchless, peerless, incomparable, star, arch-.

▷antonyms last; worst.