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Synonyms

leadership

American  
[lee-der-ship] / ˈli dərˌʃɪp /

noun

  • leaderships
    plural
  1. the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.

    He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.

    Synonyms:
    hegemony, stewardship, governorship, control, directorship, management, administration
  2. ability to lead.

    As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkable leadership potential.

    Synonyms:
    clout, sway, effectiveness, command, influence, authoritativeness
  3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.

    They prospered under his strong leadership.

  4. the leaders of a group.

    The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.


leadership British  
/ ˈliːdəʃɪp /

noun

  1. the position or function of a leader

  2. the period during which a person occupies the position of leader

    during her leadership very little was achieved

    1. the ability to lead

    2. ( as modifier )

      leadership qualities

  3. the leaders as a group of a party, union, etc

    the union leadership is now very reactionary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of leadership

First recorded in 1815–25; leader + -ship

Explanation

Leadership is the action of leading a group of people. Or, the actual people who lead the group. If you think you have leadership skills, you better be able to rally the troops and get the job done. Leadership can be the act of leading, or a name for the group of people doing the leading. The House leadership, newly emboldened by election results, may set an ambitious agenda for the new session of Congress. Your own leadership skills may be called into question if your entire staff resigns and goes to work for your competitor.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing leadership

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Live Nation had hired the firm in December, in part because of its close ties to DOJ leadership, a person familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

This shows that chipmakers, which have suffered from a rotation out of early-cycle AI stocks, are not likely to retake leadership once again in the near-term, the strategists said.

From MarketWatch Aug. 24, 2026

It’s clear that Raising Cane’s leadership is aware of these advantages, as it has zero intentions of going public in the near future.

From Slate Aug. 24, 2026

Beyond the dispute over Raman’s leadership of the committee, there are clear policy disagreements between the mayor and the council member over the best way to combat the crisis.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 23, 2026

After the convention, the leadership presented this declaration, plus a petition with eight thousand signatures supporting women’s suffrage, to the Ohio lawmakers revising the state’s constitution.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

That represents only 0.1 percent of the total, but would be a significant sum for the leaderships of FIFA's poorer or smaller members.

From Barron's Jul. 28, 2026

While both groups have recruited new fighters to fill their ranks, their military leaderships are still in disarray, some of the people familiar with intelligence said.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 31, 2025

“An effective U.S. deterrent threat must hold at risk what contemporary hostile leaderships value most, because they are the audience that must be deterred,” the report states.

From Washington Times Sep. 27, 2023

The allies have sought to limit publicity around the trial period, which comes amid unusually intense strains between their leaderships over wider Palestinian policies and other issues.

From Reuters Aug. 1, 2023

New men in party leaderships came in the composite Cabinet of Moderate leanings led by Charles Dupuy in April, 1893.

From A History of the Third French Republic by C. H. C. (Charles Henry Conrad) Wright

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