pacesetters
Those ahead first
Pacesetters are those who set the pace—leaders who establish standards others follow.
In racing, a pacesetter runs at the front, determining the speed for the field.
The word extends to any domain where someone leads by example: Silicon Valley pacesetters in tech innovation, pacesetters in fashion.
A pacesetter may also be a pacemaker device.
Those who open territory
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- trendsettersThose who initiate popular styles
- innovatorsCreators of novel things
- frontrunnersThose leading a competition
visionaries · leaders · vanguard · groundbreakers · forerunners · standard-bearers · pathfinders · bellwethers
Dominant companies in field
- Fortune 500Largest American companies ranking
- blue chipsShares in stable companies
- high achieversPeople who excel greatly
- outperformersThose exceeding standard results
competitive edge · best practices · startups · unicorns · disruptors · Tesla · Apple · expansion
Those who race on foot
- rabbitsBurrowing lagomorphs with long ears
- sprintersBrief-race speed athletes
- marathonersPeople who complete 26.2-mile races
- trackPath or monitored route
relay · split times · cadence · stride · qualifying · middle-distance · elite runners · breakaway
trailblazers
Those who open territory
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- trendsettersThose who initiate popular styles
- innovatorsCreators of novel things
frontrunners · visionaries · leaders · vanguard · groundbreakers · forerunners · standard-bearers · pathfinders · bellwethers · influencers
industry leaders
Dominant companies in field
- Fortune 500Largest American companies ranking
- blue chipsShares in stable companies
- high achieversPeople who excel greatly
outperformers · competitive edge · best practices · startups · unicorns · disruptors · Tesla · Apple · expansion · scaling
runners
Those who race on foot
- rabbitsBurrowing lagomorphs with long ears
- sprintersBrief-race speed athletes
- marathonersPeople who complete 26.2-mile races
track · relay · split times · cadence · stride · qualifying · middle-distance · elite runners · breakaway · drafting
- trailblazerstrailblazers, pioneers, innovators, groundbreakers, forerunners
- Exemplarsexemplars, paragons, role models, ideals, gold standards
pacesettersstragglers
Those who fall behind
laggards · tailenders · also-rans · followers · trailers
pacesettersfollowers
People who support someone
imitators · copycats · traditionalists · laggards · reactionaries