as in lilting
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1
as in affecting
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 lurching
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 governing
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 swaying
Anna Haines, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026
No, in these cases, there wasn’t any successful swaying of opinion.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 1 June 2026
There’s an ever present sense of the air moving, seen in the grass swaying and the smoke drifting.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
While Kesteloo is used to traveling at sea, the rocking and swaying of the boat might affect you differently.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Chisora would react by dipping and swaying.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Tuesday night’s elections further showed the swaying power that Latinx voters can have.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Everyone sat down around a fire pit, except for Land, who stood, face lit from below, gesturing and swaying.
—James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
That’s why, in Wicked onstage, there is a giant dragon above the proscenium that activates at the very beginning of the show, roaring and swaying.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China's Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
—CBS News, 16 June 2026
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China’s Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
—Russ Bynum, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 12 June 2026
Whether bored, antsy, or both, Louis began swaying his hips from side to side and dancing to the music.
—Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 11 June 2026
Many days are sunny, calm, and perfect for lounging beneath swaying palm trees or exploring a new port.
—Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
In an afternoon of dazzling outfits and daring dance moves, the performers got the audience clapping, singing and swaying along to their Elvis covers.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
To secure his nomination, Blanche would need to convince any swaying Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to get in his corner.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2026
Adjective
As the sun set below blush clouds, the gently swaying crowd matched the R&B singer’s sultry energy.
—Anna Haines, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
Naturally, all eyes were on Swift for much of the night, and the unapologetic fan of popular music did not disappoint — singing along, cheering, swaying, even holding on to her guy for brief moments.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026
No, in these cases, there wasn’t any successful swaying of opinion.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 1 June 2026
There’s an ever present sense of the air moving, seen in the grass swaying and the smoke drifting.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
While Kesteloo is used to traveling at sea, the rocking and swaying of the boat might affect you differently.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Chisora would react by dipping and swaying.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Tuesday night’s elections further showed the swaying power that Latinx voters can have.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Everyone sat down around a fire pit, except for Land, who stood, face lit from below, gesturing and swaying.
—James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
That’s why, in Wicked onstage, there is a giant dragon above the proscenium that activates at the very beginning of the show, roaring and swaying.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
Verb
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China’s Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China's Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
—CBS News, 16 June 2026
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China’s Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
—Russ Bynum, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 12 June 2026
Whether bored, antsy, or both, Louis began swaying his hips from side to side and dancing to the music.
—Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 11 June 2026
Many days are sunny, calm, and perfect for lounging beneath swaying palm trees or exploring a new port.
—Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
In an afternoon of dazzling outfits and daring dance moves, the performers got the audience clapping, singing and swaying along to their Elvis covers.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
To secure his nomination, Blanche would need to convince any swaying Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to get in his corner.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaying
Adjective
-
What Doremus has done though, is to make his own thing with a similar concept, a film greatly enhanced by the lilting presence of Clarke, who is wonderful in this role(s), showing us the glory of fate, and its price.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
5 June 2026
-
Malcolm Todd is a rising star with a sweet, lilting voice and a knack for intimate popcraft.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Nicolas Matthew Scelfo of Brooklyn, New York, faces up to 10 years in prison after being charged with influencing, impeding, and retaliating against a federal officer by threat.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
10 June 2026
-
Seven states have now passed legislation to regulate family influencing, but these laws mostly just ensure that parents set aside a percentage of earnings to compensate their children.—
Kristen Martin,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Proponents like Mark Borman of Bridge & Corner, which hosts film production in the area, said the BID could address environmental concerns affecting the well-being of their tenants.—
Alejandra Molina,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
For caterpillars, then, organic insecticides with the biologically active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) function by applying a bacterium that treats caterpillars without affecting others.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
As is Takal, clearly having fun with the film’s queasy, lurching atmospherics, abetted by the sparse, shivery, atonal chimes of Jonathan Goldsmith’s score, and the floating, disembodied feel of Robert Leitzell’s camerawork.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
-
These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The organization noted that Skydive Kansas City is a member in good standing of the sport’s governing body, and is cooperating with local authorities and federal investigators to determine the cause of the crash.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
Within a year, authorities must regulate procedures governing the country’s cattle identification and traceability systems and establish due diligence requirements for deforestation-free cattle ranching.—
Steven Grattan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
And Wu-Tang Clan, who headlined the Game 4 halftime show at Madison Square Garden, will take the stage for a musical performance.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
The steady pulsing of milking machines mingled with a thumping musical beat as McAfee marched down the rows, pointing to their light pink udders.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
One of its executives, Anderson, defined agentic treasury as a control system for the movement of money, software that does not merely advise a treasurer but acts, moving cash between accounts, settling invoices, hedging a currency exposure, all with little human prompting.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The agent can run programs and complete requests without constant prompting.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
And nobody should worry about impressing the chef.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
-
Characterized by distinct voices and authentic stories with increasing universal appeal, Jordanian cinema is reaching new global markets and impressing ever more international audiences.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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