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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swayed
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
Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
Freeder said the people who are somewhat supportive could be swayed.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
The sea of heads bopped rhythmically and bodies swayed wildly.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
It won’t be swayed by the tedious work of sorting through a ream of documents.
—Emily Brindley, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Even properly adjusted, the Yeti pack still swayed slightly on scrambly sections.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
The sea of heads bopped rhythmically and bodies swayed wildly.
—Ope Adetayo, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
There’s no room to be swayed by any external influences or impressions.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
British influence even swayed the Dutch in South Africa to betray their homeland by adopting left-side driving.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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
That argument has not swayed Banas.
—Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
Freeder said the people who are somewhat supportive could be swayed.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
The sea of heads bopped rhythmically and bodies swayed wildly.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
It won’t be swayed by the tedious work of sorting through a ream of documents.
—Emily Brindley, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Even properly adjusted, the Yeti pack still swayed slightly on scrambly sections.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
The sea of heads bopped rhythmically and bodies swayed wildly.
—Ope Adetayo, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026
There’s no room to be swayed by any external influences or impressions.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
British influence even swayed the Dutch in South Africa to betray their homeland by adopting left-side driving.
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swayed
Verb
-
During oral argument, all three Court of Appeals judges expressed concern about the fairness of her sentence and highlighted how the district court judge’s political statements made about Peters may have unfairly and unconstitutionally influenced her sentencing.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Even those traveling light, like Avishag Amir, admit to being influenced.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere in town, the original creature, played by Christian Bale, has lurched here from Austria still on his lonely quest for companionship.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Then, just as abruptly, the plane lurched up, slamming everyone back to the ground.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The elder Khamenei had ruled Iran since 1989 until his death.—
Garrett Downs,Azhar Sukri,Emma Graham,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On top of all that, there were cuts and closures that affected a variety of NASA facilities, libraries, cafeterias, visitor centers, and more.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Patients affected by the condition targeted by Tuesday's approval experience movement disorders, seizures and other neurological problems that can resemble symptoms of autism.—
MATTHEW PERRONE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That's what happened through the huge swings that rocked Wall Street last week.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Perhaps most famously, Gosling rocked three vintage gold Carreras at once while playing Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It is governed by a brutal regime that oppresses its people and is an enemy to the United States.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
-
During the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the country's former monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown and replaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who established an Islamic Republic that transformed the country into a theocratic state governed by strict religious rule.—
Ashley Hume , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In the show, Annette is portrayed as a young actress who is convinced to buy a Calvin Klein suit by Carolyn Bessette.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
7 Mar. 2026
-
With this new evidence, investigators became increasingly convinced that Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy were withholding critical information.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The 22-year-old joined MNUFC from the English club Sunderland last September and has impressed beyond those three long-range goals.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
-
And Mike Peterson has impressed in camp.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swayed. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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