as in influenced
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1
as in affected
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?"
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2
as in lurched
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the way the ski lift was swaying in the wind made me nervous
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3
as in ruled
archaic
to exercise authority or power over
an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world
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Recent Examples of swayed
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
As fans stood for the opening run, a sprawling 23-piece backing ensemble — including six band members, eight backing vocalists plus returning Church muse Joanna Cotten, and a mini-orchestra with four horns and four strings — some swayed.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
When betting on a startup’s future potential, Graham is typically more swayed by his impression of its founders than the idea behind their business, the co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator wrote in a series of posts on social media platform X on August 10.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Business executives, at least some, are less swayed by the hype and more level-headed about the costs and benefits of using AI.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Liz Knueven, CNBC, 12 June 2026
Yet voters weren’t swayed by Steyer’s money, seeing the donation as a rational response by a company deeply invested in California to a candidate who at least acknowledges basic energy reality.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
Despite losing his job, Pelley successfully derailed their announcement plan for a new 60 Minutes, causing Bilton to play defense and apologize to staff just a week after joining the network and conceding that 60 Minutes would have full editorial independence that could not be swayed.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Ultimately, the board was swayed by the impact of Dougherty’s public work in Colorado.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
If you’ve been swayed by the new ad promoting the Apple Watch as a great device to boost your motivation and help keep your new year’s resolutions, then a new sales at Amazon and Best Buy are timely.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
An owner seemingly swayed in personnel decisions by video game player rankings.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
But too many of the Jets’ key offensive players were frustrated, plus fans (and some media) were calling for LaFleur’s head — Johnson wasn’t swayed.
—Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Most teams, in fact, decided from the start that pitchers were not in the best position and were liable to be too emotionally swayed to be entrusted with ABS challenges.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
As fans stood for the opening run, a sprawling 23-piece backing ensemble — including six band members, eight backing vocalists plus returning Church muse Joanna Cotten, and a mini-orchestra with four horns and four strings — some swayed.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
When betting on a startup’s future potential, Graham is typically more swayed by his impression of its founders than the idea behind their business, the co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator wrote in a series of posts on social media platform X on August 10.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Business executives, at least some, are less swayed by the hype and more level-headed about the costs and benefits of using AI.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
Some gold ETFs directly invest in bullion kept in vaults, while others invest in shares of mining companies that tend to follow the price of gold while also being swayed by the companies’ management decisions, efficiency and financials.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 12 June 2026
Yet voters weren’t swayed by Steyer’s money, seeing the donation as a rational response by a company deeply invested in California to a candidate who at least acknowledges basic energy reality.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
Despite losing his job, Pelley successfully derailed their announcement plan for a new 60 Minutes, causing Bilton to play defense and apologize to staff just a week after joining the network and conceding that 60 Minutes would have full editorial independence that could not be swayed.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
Ultimately, the board was swayed by the impact of Dougherty’s public work in Colorado.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
If you’ve been swayed by the new ad promoting the Apple Watch as a great device to boost your motivation and help keep your new year’s resolutions, then a new sales at Amazon and Best Buy are timely.
—David Phelan, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
An owner seemingly swayed in personnel decisions by video game player rankings.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
But too many of the Jets’ key offensive players were frustrated, plus fans (and some media) were calling for LaFleur’s head — Johnson wasn’t swayed.
—Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swayed
Adjective
-
Days later, her condition continued to worsen, leaving her more convinced that something had been missed.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
-
Yet Dubi remains convinced the city possesses something no other Olympic host can replicate.—
Tim Genske,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Alternative Rock The modern pop paradigm has been greatly influenced by Jack Antonoff, the producer du jour who cut his teeth in such bands as fun.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
-
Offer availability, placement, and display are determined by the third party and may be influenced by compensation and other factors.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
As the opening ceremony began with a flurry of speeches, the bus carrying Team Zambia lurched to a stop by the side of the road in southern Zimbabwe, 200 miles away.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
-
In a December 2024 crash, a bus lurched onto a sidewalk outside Curley K-8 School in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The establishment of the fund comes less than two weeks after a district court judge ruled the Kennedy Center's board acted unlawfully in adding the president's name and in making plans for two years of closure and renovations.—
Emma Nicholson,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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An Oslo court ruled that Marius Borg Hoiby, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Haakon in 2001, was guilty of two counts of rape including one in the basement of the crown prince’s home.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The strange fruits of Koosha’s process premiered Wednesday night at the Tribeca Festival in New York — a work that was just another indie film on one hand but also a glimpse at the distorted mirror of film’s future on the other.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
Sensitive plants may show leaf curling, distorted growth, discoloration, or even die from exposure to very small amounts of herbicide.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Even those who are diagnosed are often told their symptoms are limited to one organ system, when in fact many are affected.—
Wendy R. Anderson,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
-
However, the risk of being affected by an earthquake is growing because of increasing human and economic exposure and the number of assets being built in high earthquake hazard areas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a report in 2023.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
They are getting rocked at the moment.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
-
After massive democracy protests rocked the Asian financial hub in 2019, Beijing imposed a national security law that has been used to arrest many leading activists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
When essential systems rely heavily on external digital environments, countries and institutions may face limitations in how data is governed, accessed, protected or transferred during periods of disruption or regulatory change.—
Ekramy El Zaghat,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Selig supports Kalshi’s main goal of having sports prediction markets governed by the federal agency rather than states.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swayed. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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