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moving

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verb

present participle of move
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word moving distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of moving are affecting, impressive, pathetic, poignant, and touching. While all these words mean "having the power to produce deep emotion," moving may apply to any strong emotional effect including thrilling, agitating, saddening, or calling forth pity or sympathy.

a moving appeal for contributions

How do affecting and moving relate to one another?

Affecting is close to moving but most often suggests pathos.

an affecting deathbed reunion

In what contexts can impressive take the place of moving?

While in some cases nearly identical to moving, impressive implies compelling attention, admiration, wonder, or conviction.

an impressive list of achievements

When can pathetic be used instead of moving?

The meanings of pathetic and moving largely overlap; however, pathetic implies moving to pity or sometimes contempt.

pathetic attempts to justify misconduct

When could poignant be used to replace moving?

The words poignant and moving are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, poignant applies to what keenly or sharply affects one's sensitivities.

a poignant documentary on the homeless

When would touching be a good substitute for moving?

In some situations, the words touching and moving are roughly equivalent. However, touching implies arousing tenderness or compassion.

the touching innocence in a child's eyes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of moving
Adjective
One of the most moving statements came from Amy, who had since moved out of state and read it on video. Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2025 Newman and Curtin also were responsible for one of the night's most moving moments, holding up a photograph of the late Gilda Radner during the cast's goodbyes at the end of the show. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 24 July 2025
Verb
New rides like this one can cost $100 million, if not more, to create; incorporate LiDAR laser systems of the kind used on self-driving cars; and rely on robotic figures with thousands of moving parts. Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2025 His being here—scraping, sanding, painting, sitting across the table from us for dinner most nights—had been one of the joys of the past few weeks, a way of staving off the tension of moving and the sameness of the routine with the kids and the meals and the bedtime stories and all the rest. T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for moving
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moving
Adjective
  • To navigate emotional volatility, understand what behaviors are acceptable to you and create clear boundaries with the ones that are not.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The emotions of that victory two years ago were apparent at the time — Sirianni was bombastic exiting the field after the emotional win — but there is no concept of revenge this time.
    Zach Berman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Once this context is available, users can start applying appropriate actions, whether that's relocating business-critical content to faster storage, isolating legacy records or flagging redundant material for review.
    Carl D'Halluin, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The length that a client stores their items is on average three to four years, according to Hoey, noting that a majority tend to close their vault when relocating.
    Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.
    Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The jury cleared Read of killing O’Keefe, charging her with just drunken driving.
    Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Because in a world where the terrain keeps shifting, following yesterday’s map may be the quickest way to get lost.
    Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • But plenty of household media names have been humbled by the shifting habits of digital consumers.
    Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, that is reportedly affecting the relationship between King Charles and Prince William.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Sep. 2025
  • However, an anonymous former OLCA employee said the department is experiencing significant cuts, potentially affecting how well the agency can help Congress identify Social Security problems in certain areas.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Follow Scheffler for destination stories, travel trends and thought-provoking conversations from the world of travel.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • With online newsfeeds, that meant algorithms prioritizing posts with more anger-provoking content, or posts that drive comparisons of beauty, wealth or success.
    Jenna Glover, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For many owners, the nightly ritual of persuading a pet to leave the bed is an ongoing negotiation—one that frequently ends with the animal winning.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The network seemed to have trouble persuading actual stars to perform.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Otherwise, the sheer magnitude of America’s natural gas resource has enabled drillers to quickly overwhelm temporary spikes in prices by activating a number of additional drillings and driving prices back down with higher production volumes.
    David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The stand's design holds the watch on its side, automatically activating Nightstand Mode and turning your watch into a bedside clock.
    Nora Colomer may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom., FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Moving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moving. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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