| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | advanced | far developed or ahead |
| 2. | ahead | in front or in advance |
| 3. | anterior | situated before or in front |
| 4. | ascendant | rising in power or influence |
| 5. | at the forefront | in the leading position |
| 6. | at the top | in the highest position |
| 7. | authoritative | showing command and expertise |
| 8. | avant-garde | innovatively ahead of others |
| 9. | benchmark | serving as the standard |
| 10. | best | of the highest quality |
| 11. | blue-chip | high quality and dependable |
| 12. | capital | chief or most important |
| 13. | captaining | serving as team leader |
| 14. | central | most important or core |
| 15. | chairing | acting as head of meeting |
| 16. | chief | highest in rank or importance |
| 17. | commanding | exercising authority or control |
| 18. | conducting | directing an activity or group |
| 19. | controlling | directing or regulating |
| 20. | decisive | strongly shaping outcomes |
| 21. | definitive | most complete and authoritative |
| 22. | directing | controlling or steering action |
| 23. | distinguished | notably successful or respected |
| 24. | dominant | most influential or powerful |
| 25. | driving | powerfully pushing forward |
| 26. | eminent | highly respected and distinguished |
| 27. | essential | absolutely necessary or central |
| 28. | exemplary | setting a strong example |
| 29. | first | before all others |
| 30. | flagship | most important or leading |
| 31. | fore | situated at the front |
| 32. | foremost | most important or advanced |
| 33. | forward-looking | planning for future progress |
| 34. | front-running | currently ahead of rivals |
| 35. | frontal | at the front |
| 36. | frontmost | farthest toward the front |
| 37. | gold-standard | best available standard |
| 38. | governing | controlling or ruling |
| 39. | greatest | largest in importance or achievement |
| 40. | groundbreaking | pioneering and highly original |
| 41. | guiding | directing or showing the way |
| 42. | head | at the front or top |
| 43. | heading | going or positioned at front |
| 44. | headmost | nearest the front |
| 45. | highest-ranking | holding the top rank |
| 46. | illustrious | widely admired and distinguished |
| 47. | imperial | having commanding dominance |
| 48. | in front | before others in position |
| 49. | in the lead | ahead of competitors |
| 50. | influential | having strong effect on others |
| 51. | initial | occurring at the beginning |
| 52. | innovative | introducing new ideas |
| 53. | key | very important or essential |
| 54. | lead-off | first in order or lineup |
| 55. | main | most important or central |
| 56. | major | greater in importance or size |
| 57. | managing | handling and directing operations |
| 58. | marshaling | organizing and directing resources |
| 59. | master | chief or dominant |
| 60. | model | serving as an example |
| 61. | motivating | causing action or progress |
| 62. | notable | important and worthy of notice |
| 63. | number-one | ranked first |
| 64. | opening | coming first in sequence |
| 65. | orchestrating | arranging and directing skillfully |
| 66. | out front | ahead of others |
| 67. | outstanding | exceptionally good or prominent |
| 68. | overseeing | watching and directing |
| 69. | pace-setting | establishing the standard or speed |
| 70. | paramount | more important than anything else |
| 71. | piloting | guiding through a process |
| 72. | pioneering | introducing something new first |
| 73. | preeminent | surpassing all others |
| 74. | premier | first in status or rank |
| 75. | primary | first in importance or order |
| 76. | principal | main or most important |
| 77. | regnant | currently ruling or prevailing |
| 78. | reigning | currently dominant or ruling |
| 79. | renowned | famous and highly regarded |
| 80. | ruling | exercising dominant authority |
| 81. | sovereign | holding highest power |
| 82. | spearheading | taking the lead in effort |
| 83. | standard-setting | establishing quality benchmarks |
| 84. | steering | guiding the course of something |
| 85. | superior | higher in quality or rank |
| 86. | supervising | overseeing work or people |
| 87. | supreme | highest in authority or degree |
| 88. | tip-top | of the very best quality |
| 89. | top | highest in position or rank |
| 90. | topmost | highest in position |
| 91. | trailblazing | innovatively leading the way |
| 92. | trendsetting | setting new styles or directions |
| 93. | unequaled | not equaled by others |
| 94. | unrivaled | having no equal competitor |
| 95. | unsurpassed | not exceeded by others |
| 96. | uppermost | highest or most prominent |
| 97. | vanguard | at the forefront of change |
| 98. | vital | extremely important |
| 99. | winning | currently successful or ahead |
| 100. | world-class | among the best anywhere |