center of attention
29
3.2
- noun
- /ˈsɛntər əv əˈtɛnʃən/
- Informal
:
centro de atención
- Why can't I be the center of attention?
- become the center of attention
They struggle watching brides and grooms being the centres of attention on their day.
- They struggle watching brides and grooms being the centres of attention on their day.
- No longer feeling the need to be the center of attention.
- If the person who is the center of attention is graceful, they may try to roll with it.
- They're still going to expect to be the center of attention, but they're going to do it more passively.
- Like they want to be the center of attention.
- And the church promoted that idea because people feel better if they are at the centre of attention.
- People want to be the center of attention and they won't shut the fuck up.
Examples
-
Yes, most people like being the centre of attention.
-
You know I hate being the center of attention.
-
You always have to be the center of attention.
-
You do whatever it takes to be the center of attention.
-
Why do you always have to be the center of attention?
-
As a little kid, he always enjoyed being the center of attention.
Fiction book (2002) -
But instead, she would spend the night making herself the center of attention.
Fiction book (1999) -
Regina always wanted to be the center of attention.
-
The child is commonly the center of attention as the others watch the task unfold.
Academic text (2014) -
At the party, Sarah became the center of attention with her amazing dance moves.
Synonyms
282
1.0
The most important part or person that gets most attention
30
3.7
The main person, thing, or idea that gets most attention
30
3.8
A position or role that gets the most attention
Antonyms
How Central
- Informal
30
3.8
- Informal
29
3.2
30
3.7
- Literature
2
6.4
3
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'center' (most important part) combined with 'attention' (focus) yields 'the main focus of interest'. The preposition 'of' is a transparent linking element and the construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Center of attention comes from picturing someone standing in the middle of a group while everyone's eyes and interest point to them. So the center is where all the attention is, and that is why the phrase means 'the person or thing people notice the most'.