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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Recent Examples of 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
Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Trump condemned Roberts and the five other justices who ruled against him on tariffs and made an unsubstantiated claim that the court was swayed by foreign interests.
—Andrew Chung, USA Today, 7 May 2026
But like other recent debates, political experts are dubious as to whether anyone was swayed.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Miriam swayed, shoulders shaking with laughter at a joke nobody else could hear.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
The 28-year-old Nakatani, a southpaw, used his longer reach to keep Inoue’s punches at bay, while Inoue simply swayed his body or got out of the way.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
One key problem with California’s direct democracy is that voters are easily swayed by broad promises, but then lose interest in real-world outcomes.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Meridian City Council approved annexing 70 acres of farmland for a major residential and commercial development despite vague plans, with members swayed by concerns that a Star-area sewer district could otherwise serve the territory.
—Idaho Statesman, 30 Apr. 2026
Researchers also used a tool to measure how much participants swayed when standing naturally, as well as with their feet together.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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
Ultimately, the bond market is sending a message about the economy, and it isn’t swayed by trendy narratives, Malek said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 May 2026
Trump condemned Roberts and the five other justices who ruled against him on tariffs and made an unsubstantiated claim that the court was swayed by foreign interests.
—Andrew Chung, USA Today, 7 May 2026
But like other recent debates, political experts are dubious as to whether anyone was swayed.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Miriam swayed, shoulders shaking with laughter at a joke nobody else could hear.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
The 28-year-old Nakatani, a southpaw, used his longer reach to keep Inoue’s punches at bay, while Inoue simply swayed his body or got out of the way.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
One key problem with California’s direct democracy is that voters are easily swayed by broad promises, but then lose interest in real-world outcomes.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Meridian City Council approved annexing 70 acres of farmland for a major residential and commercial development despite vague plans, with members swayed by concerns that a Star-area sewer district could otherwise serve the territory.
—Idaho Statesman, 30 Apr. 2026
Researchers also used a tool to measure how much participants swayed when standing naturally, as well as with their feet together.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swayed
Verb
-
The helmet logo, a chief, was influenced by Blackfeet Nation imagery, and team leadership consulted with the Blackfeet tribal chairman during its design.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Come Wednesday, the high pressure that is building is expected to slide away, influenced by yet another trough that’s expected to cool temperatures about 20 degrees from their Monday highs, according to the weather service.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Each assault count corresponds to a moment Mendoza Hernandez’s car lurched forward, about seven seconds apart.—
Scott Lebar. Story produced with AI assistance,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
France lurched from republic to dictatorship to empire before cycling back through absolute monarchy, constitutional monarchy, Second Republic, and Second Empire.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
After a federal judge ruled for the Justice Department, the merger was abandoned.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Referee Kelly Sutherland immediately ruled it a legal goal and motioned to say Hunt pushed the Avs captain into his own goalie.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Air travel and cruises are also slightly up this year, with most trips booked before fuel prices affected travel costs.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
One of the emergency water stations that have been operating in Oakland County, providing drinking water to those affected by low or no water pressure after a water main broke on May 10, 2026.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The judiciary said Shahbakhsh carried out his attacks during protests that rocked Iran in 2022 and 2023 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
The cruise ship rocked by an unprecedented Andes hantavirus outbreak arrived in the Canary Islands off the coast of Tenerife Island over the weekend and is being evacuated.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
This means it’s governed entirely by the Labour Party’s own rules, and Starmer would remain prime minister while a contest takes place.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
-
At the time of the purchase, Pac Bell wasn’t obliged to pay property taxes on the building due to rules that governed Pac Bell at the time.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lesch became convinced the Middle East would be central to world affairs for decades to come.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
Associate Professor Nigel Beebe of the University of Queensland’s School of the Environment isn’t convinced.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Poulin also has been impressed with Kouba’s work in the batter’s box.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
His tenure in Philadelphia has been far from perfect (a 116-130 regular-season record), but team sources say the ownership group has been impressed with the way Nurse galvanized the roster this season.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swayed. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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