INFLUENCES Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

influences 1 of 2

noun

plural of influence

as in sways

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly a mayor who doesn't hesitate to use her influence to get business leaders behind civic improvements

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in effects

the power to bring about a result on another the basic premise of astrology is that the position of the stars has an influence on human affairs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

influences

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of influence

as in affects

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response the news reports of the devastating flood influenced a great many people to make contributions for food and supplies

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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 influences

Noun

Expect fresh, modern cuisine that melds local and international influences. — Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 There are the famed Urfa chiles of the country’s southeast, the seafood, greens and corn in the north that edge the Black Sea, and the grand amalgam of influences in Istanbul. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026 This structure allows the manual to acknowledge influences of a disorder without taking a firm stance on etiology. — Jessica Scheer, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026 No single experience appears to explain much, but thousands of small environmental influences may accumulate over a lifetime to shape personality. — Jessica Craig, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026 The actress then praised them for being positive influences on her. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 Arizona's Maricopa County — home to Phoenix — has developed sophisticated protocols for sussing out the subtle influences of heat on people's deaths. — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Band from Venezuela fuses reggae, funk, soul and Caribbean rhythms with Latin pop and alternative influences. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026 Suspicions that the festival was succumbing to fascist influences actually led to the establishment of the Cannes Film Festival as an alternative after the 1938 edition. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Verb

And that advisory panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle. — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Visual design influences the meaning of these interactions before every word has been fully processed. — Goran Paun, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Credit still matters, and the score influences both approval and pricing. — Karen Koehler, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 As the world influences the object, changing its state, the arrow turns smoothly through Hilbert space. — Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 The pair bonded over their Vietnamese roots, and that shared heritage now influences their entertaining styles. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026 The 10-year US Treasury yield influences mortgages rates, auto loans and rates for business loans. — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 Because the forest canopy influences shade, temperature, water loss and photosynthesis, the index provides a powerful measure of forest function. — Regan E. Dunn, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026 This is why the choice between a flyby mission and a landing mission on Mars influences the spacecraft’s speed, trajectory, and therefore the time taken to reach the planet. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for influences

Noun

And Soorty’s Rebellion Noir concept leverages overdyeing, creating dark, moody denim.

— Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026
According to Archer, Halo leverages technologies refined through nearly eight years of electric aircraft research and testing.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026

Definition of leverages

Verb

PayPal has many middle-income customers and some lower-income customers, so a pullback in spending affects use of its payments platform.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Trump’s new round of tariffs is another way to target Canadian wood, which this time affects different types of plywood.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of affects

Noun

Fouquet said the milestone was made possible through collaboration with local, regional and national authorities, particularly the City of Eindhoven.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
As weeks passed, attacks on systems in other states — including Oregon and, authorities suspect, Utah — came to light, the center found by reviewing local media sources.

— Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of authorities

Noun

An agreement paramount to Idaho dairy Idaho’s dairy industry may see the biggest impacts from the Canadian tariffs, which will target milk, cream and whey at 50%, and cheese at 25%.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
Such proclamations are a procedural measure officials take in emergencies to allow for mobilization of resources and staff to prepare for and respond to potential impacts.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of impacts

Verb

View gallery - 15 images Dragon Tiny Homes regularly impresses us with its ultra-portable models.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2026
Alas, right at the film’s finish line, Swanberg backstabs his own commitment to honesty when one of Wendy’s pursuers impresses her with a magical ex machina.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of impresses

Noun

Because my initial output was short and structured with a single link, the system’s mathematical weights became heavily biased toward repeating that exact shape.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Notably, in a tweet congratulating Jensen on the deal, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora echoed the importance of balancing open source and open weights with frontier LLMs.

— , CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of weights

Verb

The Big Ten issued a statement two hours after the game, clarifying the process that was used and citing the rule that was enforced about when the clock stops if a player touches the ball out of bounds.

— Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Narwal Freo 20 Edge Narwal’s flagship Flow series extends the side of the mop cylinder that touches the ground, so more is in contact with the floor at once.

— Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of touches

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“Influences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/influences. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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noun

verb

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