A celebrity who is an inspiration to others.

synonyms: guiding light, leading light, luminary, notable.

Roget 642: importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness.    import, significance, concern; emphasis, interest.    greatness etc. 31; superiority etc. 33; notability etc. (repute) 873; weight etc. (influence) 175; value etc. (goodness) 648; usefulness etc. 644.    gravity, seriousness, solemnity; no joke, no laughing matter; pressure, urgency, stress; matter of life and death.    memorabilia, notabilia^†, great doings; red-letter day.    great thing, great point; main chance, the be all and the end all" [Macbeth]; cardinal point; substance, gist etc. (essence) 5; sum and substance, gravamen, head and front; important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part; half the battle; sine qua non; breath of one's nostrils etc. (life) 359; cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus; keynote, keystone; corner stone; trump card etc. (device) 626; salient points.    top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna [Sp.], chief; triton among the minnows; 'it' [U.S.].   " ... show more

Roget 873: distinction, mark, name, figure; repute, reputation; good repute, high repute; note, notability, notoriety, eclat, the bubble reputation" [As You Like It], vogue, celebrity; fame, famousness; renown; popularity, aura popularis [Lat.]; approbation etc. 931; credit, succes d'estime [Fr.], prestige, talk of the town; name to conjure with.    glory, honor; luster etc. (light) 420; illustriousness etc. adj.. account, regard, respect; reputableness etc. adj.^†; respectability etc. (probity) 939; good name, good report; fair name.    dignity; stateliness etc. adj.; solemnity, grandeur, splendor, nobility, majesty, sublimity.    rank, standing, brevet rank, precedence, pas, station, place, status; position, position in society; order, degree, baccalaureate, locus standi [Lat.], caste, condition.    greatness etc. adj.; eminence; height etc. 206; importance etc. 642; preeminence, supereminence; high mightiness, primacy; top of the ladder, top of the tree.    elevation; ascent etc. 305; superaltation^†, exaltation; dignification^†, aggrandizement.    dedication, consecration, enthronement, canonization, celebration, enshrinement, glorification.    hero, man of mark, great card, celebrity, worthy, lion, rara avis [Lat.], notability, somebody; classman^†; man of rank etc. (nobleman) 875; pillar of the state, pillar of the church, pillar of the community.    chief etc. (master) 745; first fiddle etc. (proficient) 700; cynosure, mirror; flower, pink, pearl; paragon etc. (perfection) 650; choice and master spirits of the age; elite; star, sun, constellation, galaxy.    ornament, honor, feather in one's cap, halo, aureole, nimbus; halo of glory, blaze of glory, blushing honors; laurels etc. (trophy) 733.    memory, posthumous fame, niche in the temple of fame; immortality, immortal name; magni nominis umbra [Lat.] [Lucan]. ... show more

Dutch: lichtend voorbeeld, lichtbron, uitblinker
Polish: luminarz