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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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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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

Among his influences Kjartansson counts Carolee Schneemann, Yoko Ono, Chris Burden, and Marina Abramović. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Because there are external influences on the reward—the prisoner who defects and is released may well be retaliated against under slightly different circumstances, and not under others. — Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026 The recipe pulls in Vietnamese influences too, through ginger and lemongrass, reflecting the impact Vietnamese immigration has had on the city’s food scene. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2026 Given its position in Northern Greece, Thessaloniki has played host to Greeks, Ottoman Turks, Sephardic Jews, Armenians, and Slavs for centuries, resulting in meals and dishes that pull influences from all over the continent. — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026 The menu advertises Singaporean cuisine, which incorporates influences from Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions and ingredients. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 This matters to the global economy The influences of El Niño should raise global alarms for economies as well. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 Aina has remained one of the biggest positive influences in the squad. — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Lunar cycles, marine influences, and Baja’s centuries-old healing culture shape signature rituals and treatments featuring herbal remedies, moon-phase practices, and shamanic cleansings, among others. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 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

Noun

San Francisco must now fight the effects of trying to reset those body clocks back to Pacific Time ahead of the final 16 games, and perhaps that’s Los Angeles’ edge in never changing at all.

— Nate Atkins, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The effects were longer wait times for new, more affordable cars, and higher prices for used cars.

— David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of effects

Verb

If the foreground star has a planet orbiting it, the planet’s gravity also affects the light from the distant star.

— Thomas Fauchez, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
The rare condition restricts the movement of the eye, and usually only affects one eye — according to the NHS.

— Leon Imber, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of affects

Noun

Chinese authorities this year proposed mutual aid elder care services to cover 70% of regions by 2030.

— HUIYEE CHIEW AND LYRIC LI THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
If the offender comes closer than a kilometre, the app notifies police; probation authorities will then call the victim to establish their safety and can dispatch officers to the area.

— Will Barker, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of authorities

Noun

Reports should show trends, flag emerging risks and translate technical metrics into potential operational, financial and reputational impacts, allowing the board to assess how the risk is evolving and guide decisions in a timely manner.

— Susana Sierra, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Despite opposition from many neighboring homeowners and businesses alarmed by possible traffic impacts, those permits were approved in 2014.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 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

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“Influences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/influences. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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noun

verb

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