figurehead
[noun]
Synonyms: front man, mouthpiece, puppet, titular or nominal head

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English Thesaurus: leader, ruler, head of state, figurehead, ringleader, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

fig‧ure‧head /ˈfɪɡəhed $ ˈfɪɡjər-/ noun [countable]

1. someone who seems to be the leader of a country or organization but who has no real power ⇒ puppet:
The Queen is merely a figurehead.

2. a wooden model of a woman that used to be placed on the front of ships

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

leader the person who directs or controls a group, organization, country etc:
12,000 party members will vote next week to elect a new leader.
leaders of developing nations from around the world
ruler someone, such as a king or queen or a military leader, who has official power over a country or area:
Sheik Mohamed, ruler of Dubai
Argentina’s former military rulers
head of state someone who leads a country or state:
Twenty-one heads of state will meet at the annual World Trade summit.
figurehead someone who is seen as the leader of a country or organization, although he or she does not have any real power:
the Queen’s role as a national figurehead
There are advantages in having a respected personality as a figurehead for the organisation.
ringleader someone who leads a group that is doing something illegal or wrong:
The alleged ringleaders of the gang have been arrested.
the ringleaders of the airplane bomb plot

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲