1
as in fluctuated
to move back and forth in a rhythmic manner
When a guitar string is plucked, it oscillates to produce sound waves in the air.
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2
as in alternated
to continuously change from one belief, feeling, or condition to an opposite one
The model's hair color oscillates between bleach blond and jet black.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oscillated
Over the past several years, the rising actor has oscillated between indies, crowd-pleasers, and everything in between.
—
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Despite taking our holiday in late April, the start of the wet season, we were blessed with perfect weather—temperatures oscillated between a comfortable 70 and 80 degrees and there wasn't a raindrop in sight.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 June 2026
Culturally, hyper-machismo has oscillated from cool to lame to ironically cool and back again for decades.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Hollywood’s relationship with AI has oscillated from a complete rejection to relatively enthusiastic adoption.
—Corbin Bolies, Variety, 3 June 2026
Independent polls in the final weeks oscillated between Hilton, Becerra and Steyer, with only the top two advancing under California’s all-party primary system.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Under Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth’s form has often oscillated between streaks of positive and negative results.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The index oscillated around the flatline after initially opening in negative territory.
—Sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Over the past couple of weeks, oil prices have oscillated between the $90-$100 a barrel range, having gone even higher during the conflict.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Despite taking our holiday in late April, the start of the wet season, we were blessed with perfect weather—temperatures oscillated between a comfortable 70 and 80 degrees and there wasn't a raindrop in sight.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 June 2026
Culturally, hyper-machismo has oscillated from cool to lame to ironically cool and back again for decades.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Hollywood’s relationship with AI has oscillated from a complete rejection to relatively enthusiastic adoption.
—Corbin Bolies, Variety, 3 June 2026
Independent polls in the final weeks oscillated between Hilton, Becerra and Steyer, with only the top two advancing under California’s all-party primary system.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Under Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth’s form has often oscillated between streaks of positive and negative results.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The index oscillated around the flatline after initially opening in negative territory.
—Sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Over the past couple of weeks, oil prices have oscillated between the $90-$100 a barrel range, having gone even higher during the conflict.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oscillated
Verb
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The area quality in Modesto and Madera has fluctuated between good and moderate through Friday morning and early afternoon.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
SpaceX shares fluctuated a few cents after the closing bell.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
Verb
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At midnight toasts were made with Blanc de Blanc champagne, and then the evening continued with a DJ set entrusted to leading names on the international scene, including Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, and Peggy Gou, who alternated until late into the night.—
Stefania Conrieri,
Vanity Fair,
7 June 2026
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But at the State meet, officials alternated between sticking to the normal race schedule and running the 2 mile early in the meet and the mile later as had been the case in 1974 at the State meet in Bakersfield.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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From this perspective, the pendulum has fully swung from being near resistance and overbought to being near support and oversold.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
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Once the board was attached, the contestant swung the board around by, yep, the spike in his nose.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oscillated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oscillated. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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