I. noun
1.
Synonyms: leader 2, boss, chieftain, cock, dominator, head, headman, hierarch, honcho, master
Related Word: dictator, duce, führer
2.
Synonyms: notable 1, big-timer, ||big wheel, bigwig, dignitary, eminence, leader, lion, luminary, notability
II. adjective
1.
Synonyms: first 3, arch, champion, foremost, head, leading, premier, principal
2.
standing apart by reason of superior importance, significance, or influence
his chief claim to consideration is his unquestionable uprightness
Synonyms: capital, ||cock, dominant, main, major, number one, outstanding, predominant, preeminent, principal, star, stellar
Related Word: primal, primary, prime; important, prominent, significant; consequential, momentous, weighty; effective, potent, telling; controlling, master, ruling
Contrasted words: inconsequential, minor, trivial, unimportant; collateral, contingent, secondary