notability

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

notability
    n 1: a celebrity who is an inspiration to others; "he was host
         to a large gathering of luminaries" [syn: {luminary},
         {leading light}, {guiding light}, {notable}, {notability}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Notability \Not`a*bil"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Notabilities}. [Cf. F.
   notabilit['e] .]
   1. Quality of being notable.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A notable, or remarkable, person or thing; a person of
      note. "Parisian notabilities" --Carlyle.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A notable saying. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

103 Moby Thesaurus words for "notability":
      Establishment, VIP, baron, big gun, big man, big name, big shot,
      big-timer, bigwig, brass, brass hat, celebrity, chief, consequence,
      conspicuousness, constellation, cynosure, dignitary, dignity,
      distinction, elder, elevation, eminence, esteem, exaltation,
      excellence, fame, father, figure, folk hero, galaxy, glory,
      grandeur, great man, greatness, hero, heroine, heroism,
      high mightiness, honor, idol, immortal, importance,
      important person, interests, leader, lion, loftiness,
      lords of creation, luminaries, luminary, magnanimity, magnate,
      majesty, man of mark, mark, master spirit, memorability, mogul,
      nabob, name, nobility, notable, note, noteworthiness,
      outstandingness, panjandrum, person of note, person of renown,
      personage, personality, pillar of society, pleiad, pop hero,
      popular hero, popular idol, power, power elite, prestige,
      prominence, public figure, remarkableness, renown, reputation,
      repute, ruling circle, sachem, salience, significance, social lion,
      somebody, something, star, sublimity, supereminence, superstar,
      the great, the top, top brass, top people, tycoon,
      very important person, worthy