as in influenced
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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?"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ruled
archaic
to exercise authority or power over
an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 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,
2 July 2026
That was apparent at a town hall debate Tuesday evening at Florida Memorial University, which some attendees said may have swayed them from one particular candidate to being open to hearing what the others had to say.
—
Raisa Habersham
july 1,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
As their lips touched, a stillness came over them even as the cane swayed and the dupatta wrapped itself around them.
—
Literary Hub,
30 June 2026
In a clip from the moment, Contreras seemingly mildly argued his point with officials, who could not be swayed.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
Broadwater and his lawyer had opted for a bench trial, hoping that a judge would see the paucity of evidence and wouldn’t be swayed by emotion.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
In my experience, the most sophisticated buyers are not swayed by attractive or clever marketing and instead are focused on very tight safety anchors and low-electromagnetic field (EMF) performance.
—
Christopher Kiggins,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The court said jurors received instructions from the trial judge that could have improperly swayed them toward convicting him.
—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Whether Leo can be swayed is another matter, given his own experience in the region and criticism of the often corrupt deals mining companies ink with governments in the developing world.
—
ABC News,
20 June 2026
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,
2 July 2026
That was apparent at a town hall debate Tuesday evening at Florida Memorial University, which some attendees said may have swayed them from one particular candidate to being open to hearing what the others had to say.
—
Raisa Habersham
july 1,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
As their lips touched, a stillness came over them even as the cane swayed and the dupatta wrapped itself around them.
—
Literary Hub,
30 June 2026
In a clip from the moment, Contreras seemingly mildly argued his point with officials, who could not be swayed.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
Broadwater and his lawyer had opted for a bench trial, hoping that a judge would see the paucity of evidence and wouldn’t be swayed by emotion.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
In my experience, the most sophisticated buyers are not swayed by attractive or clever marketing and instead are focused on very tight safety anchors and low-electromagnetic field (EMF) performance.
—
Christopher Kiggins,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The court said jurors received instructions from the trial judge that could have improperly swayed them toward convicting him.
—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Whether Leo can be swayed is another matter, given his own experience in the region and criticism of the often corrupt deals mining companies ink with governments in the developing world.
—
ABC News,
20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swayed
Adjective
-
But not everyone is so convinced.
-
After the birth of their son, Saga (Haarla) becomes convinced there is something profoundly wrong with the child, even as those around her dismiss her fears.
Verb
-
The white dwarf is part of a triple star system, and the outer companion stars could have influenced WD 1856 b's orbit.
-
Offer availability, placement, and display are determined by the third party and may be influenced by compensation and other factors.
Verb
-
Initial data indicates both of these earthquakes were strike-slip, Magnani said, meaning one plate lurched past the other along the boundary.
-
Rodney McDonald, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, told ABC News the ordeal began when the aircraft unexpectedly lurched.
Verb
-
But in June of last year, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to the contrary.
-
In addition, the trial judge gave the jury erroneous instructions, the appeals court ruled.
Adjective
-
Through a slurry of distorted guitars and deadpan singing, the album brushes against grief, addiction, and abandonment through a layer of gauzy nonchalance.
-
Latvian intelligence argues that Putin is not only looking for ways to pressure NATO countries to back off Ukraine, but may also be receiving distorted assessments from inside his own system — raising the risk that Russia could misjudge Western resolve.
Verb
-
Funding changes have affected metro Atlanta organizations and communities.
-
There are no definitive statistics about how many students are affected by state bans.
Verb
-
The strike rocked the Ecuadorians, whose stingy defense had been their hallmark throughout qualifying for this World Cup, and La Tri gathered together for a pep talk as Azteca boomed around them.
-
This piece can be read in the context of an event that rocked Koreans, and the world, in 2016.
Verb
-
For many companies, the future of AI won’t be determined by the capabilities of the systems, but how they’re governed.
-
China says Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries, and its Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951.
Cite this Entry
“Swayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swayed. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
