SWAY Synonyms: 179 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'sway' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sway are authority , command , control , dominion , jurisdiction , and power . While all these words mean "the right to govern or rule or determine," sway suggests the extent of exercised power or influence. // the empire extended its sway over the region

Q: When can 'authority' be used instead of 'sway'?

The meanings of authority and sway largely overlap; however, authority implies power for a specific purpose within specified limits. // granted the authority to manage her estate

Q: In what contexts can 'command' take the place of 'sway'?

While in some cases nearly identical to sway , command implies the power to make arbitrary decisions and compel obedience. // the army officer in command

Q: When would 'control' be a good substitute for 'sway'?

In some situations, the words control and sway are roughly equivalent. However, control stresses the power to direct and restrain. // you are responsible for the students under your control

Q: When could 'dominion' be used to replace 'sway'?

The synonyms dominion and sway are sometimes interchangeable, but dominion stresses sovereign power or supreme authority. // given dominion over all the animals

Q: When is 'jurisdiction' a more appropriate choice than 'sway'?

The words jurisdiction and sway are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, jurisdiction applies to official power exercised within prescribed limits. // the bureau having jurisdiction over parks

Q: When is it sensible to use 'power' instead of 'sway'?

The words power and sway can be used in similar contexts, but power implies possession of ability to wield force, authority, or influence. // the power to mold public opinion

sway 1 of 2

noun

ˈswā

Definition of sway

as in influence

the power to bring about a result on another under the sway of euphoria, she offered to take us all out to dinner in celebration of her new job

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in leverage

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly outdated attitudes that still hold sway in some communities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in power

the right or means to command or control others a time when Rome held sway over a vast empire that stretched from Britain to the Near East

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sway

2 of 2

verb

as in to influence

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response how can you not be swayed by that precious kitten, meowing as if to say, "Please take me home with you?"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to lurch

to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the way the ski lift was swaying in the wind made me nervous

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to govern

archaic to exercise authority or power over an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun sway contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of sway are authority, command, control, dominion, jurisdiction, and power. While all these words mean "the right to govern or rule or determine," sway suggests the extent of exercised power or influence.

the empire extended its sway over the region

When can authority be used instead of sway?

The meanings of authority and sway largely overlap; however, authority implies power for a specific purpose within specified limits.

granted the authority to manage her estate

In what contexts can command take the place of sway?

While in some cases nearly identical to sway, command implies the power to make arbitrary decisions and compel obedience.

the army officer in command

When would control be a good substitute for sway?

In some situations, the words control and sway are roughly equivalent. However, control stresses the power to direct and restrain.

you are responsible for the students under your control

When could dominion be used to replace sway?

The synonyms dominion and sway are sometimes interchangeable, but dominion stresses sovereign power or supreme authority.

given dominion over all the animals

When is jurisdiction a more appropriate choice than sway?

The words jurisdiction and sway are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, jurisdiction applies to official power exercised within prescribed limits.

the bureau having jurisdiction over parks

When is it sensible to use power instead of sway?

The words power and sway can be used in similar contexts, but power implies possession of ability to wield force, authority, or influence.

the power to mold public opinion

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 sway

Noun

Presidents, too, have more sway over their image with the ability to communicate directly with the public. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 June 2026 One man now holds unusual sway across rockets, satellites, automobiles, artificial intelligence, a major communications platform and a web of government contracts — influence concentrated in a way that should make any republic pause. — Douglas P. McCormick, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Verb

Recovery flags Bode said the idea for recovery flags came to her as posters of her son’s artwork swayed in the wind. — Brianna Wallen, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026 The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd. — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sway

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sway

Noun

But tomorrow — or a week from now — Ream hopes the team can celebrate the influence its World Cup run made on the sport and the country.

— Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Which Beyoncé song would Hart have liked to work into Lestat’s music as an influence?

— Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of influence

Noun

But a growing number of ships are using a route close to the Omani coast instead, threatening Iran’s leverage over the waterway.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
Creators now hold more leverage — often keeping ownership and creative control — a shift from the old model of studios simply absorbing influencers into existing productions.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of leverage

Noun

Junior Caminero has already done some things no Rays players had ever accomplished, such as extending his sizzling power show on Friday to include hitting 10 home runs over a 10-game span.

— Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Plus, the power port includes three electrical outlets and three USB ports for powering appliances, speakers, and other devices.

— Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026

Definition of power

Verb

These changes could be caused by a number of factors, the county added, including fluctuations in household income and policy changes affecting eligibility.

— Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026
Financial uncertainty can affect confidence, attention, decision-making and emotional bandwidth.

— Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of affect

Verb

Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.

— Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.

— Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

Definition of lurch

Verb

Just down the coast in Laguna Beach, a city that already had rules governing the size of canopies, officials took it a step further in May and limited the use of such shade structures to certain sections of beach.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
But the majority of Americans aren’t socialists and don’t wish to be governed by kissing cousins of Karl Marx and Kim Jong Un.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of govern

Noun

The experiments revealed signatures of the non-Hermitian skin effect, where quantum states concentrate near one end of the system instead of remaining evenly distributed.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
Lithium batteries in general are capable of discharging a greater percentage of their full capacity without any negative effects, commonly offering usable capacities of 80% or more.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026

Definition of effect

Noun

Iran insists on retaining control over shipping through the waterway and says vessels should instead use routes through its own territorial waters.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2026

Definition of control

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swatting

sway

swayed

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Style

“Sway.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sway. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of sway

noun

verb

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