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
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The swaying of her rope made what was portrayed in the book even more vivid.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 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
With Crow leading the verses, the other artists wrapped their arms around each other, swaying and singing.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
Another key feature of the new design is its 3-degree-of-freedom waist, which allows the robot to perform human-like movements such as bending, twisting, and side-swaying with precision.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Riccardo’s performance encapsulates that frustration and jubilation, carrying the film on his charming, swaying shoulders.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Could her body handle the hip-swaying, leg-kicking, and straight-up flying through the air?
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Sep. 2025
ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
The whole thing was a striking visual spectacle, too — waves of musicians rising from both sides, backup singers swaying and clapping, spotlights sweeping across the floor as a roaming camera zipped through the crowd like a drone that had just discovered country music.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
Society is kind of swaying towards a different type of entertainment.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Among the hundreds in attendance was 27-year-old Adrian Aviles, holding a large American flag swaying in the wind from a PVC pipe.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
The melodic closer had the huge crowd energized and swaying along, as the nearly 50-foot stage, fully adorned in LED lights, beamed hypnotic celestial imagery in neon blue.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026
Antifa mobilizes in support of comrades on trial Ahead of jury deliberations, supporters of the defendants staged a protest on Wednesday afternoon outside the courthouse, with the apparent purpose of swaying the jury’s decision.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The locomotive and its staff ultimately made it across the bridge—no cracking, snapping, or swaying in sight.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Mar. 2026
Deputies said Thorpe had bloodshot eyes, was swaying and unsteady, and had a fruity odor on her breath, according to the report.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 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
Tuesday night’s elections further showed the swaying power that Latinx voters can have.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The swaying of her rope made what was portrayed in the book even more vivid.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 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
With Crow leading the verses, the other artists wrapped their arms around each other, swaying and singing.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
Another key feature of the new design is its 3-degree-of-freedom waist, which allows the robot to perform human-like movements such as bending, twisting, and side-swaying with precision.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Riccardo’s performance encapsulates that frustration and jubilation, carrying the film on his charming, swaying shoulders.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Could her body handle the hip-swaying, leg-kicking, and straight-up flying through the air?
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Artists and performers from across Africa wore elaborate outfits, with beads and feathers, while others had their bodies covered in colorful paint, swaying along Indigenous Yoruba rhythms.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
The whole thing was a striking visual spectacle, too — waves of musicians rising from both sides, backup singers swaying and clapping, spotlights sweeping across the floor as a roaming camera zipped through the crowd like a drone that had just discovered country music.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
Society is kind of swaying towards a different type of entertainment.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Among the hundreds in attendance was 27-year-old Adrian Aviles, holding a large American flag swaying in the wind from a PVC pipe.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
The melodic closer had the huge crowd energized and swaying along, as the nearly 50-foot stage, fully adorned in LED lights, beamed hypnotic celestial imagery in neon blue.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026
Antifa mobilizes in support of comrades on trial Ahead of jury deliberations, supporters of the defendants staged a protest on Wednesday afternoon outside the courthouse, with the apparent purpose of swaying the jury’s decision.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
The locomotive and its staff ultimately made it across the bridge—no cracking, snapping, or swaying in sight.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Mar. 2026
Deputies said Thorpe had bloodshot eyes, was swaying and unsteady, and had a fruity odor on her breath, according to the report.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaying
Adjective
-
The track is one of the shortest on the EP but the most concise, composed simply of guitar, strings, Tems’ lilting falsetto, and sparse backing vocals.—
Nelson C.J,
Rolling Stone,
21 Nov. 2025
-
The second violins introduce the second movement with a soft, lilting quality, creating music that’s elegant and musically complex.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Once dismissed as a side hustle or vanity career, social media influencing has rapidly evolved into one of the most lucrative—and measurable—jobs in the modern economy.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
We are faced with a next generation of AI-enabled influencing that is readily undertaken on a massive scale.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fredericson says that exercise also supports weight management by affecting appetite, increasing calorie burn and helping preserve lean muscle mass, which is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
-
One way the Plant Health Care Report helps is by tracking units that measure how warmth is accumulating as days grow longer, affecting the development of plants and other organisms.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
-
There are plenty of differences, but the stability Atleti have fostered in sticking with Simeone stands in stark contrast to Spurs’ habit of lurching between managers, styles and approaches.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But people familiar with OpenAI’s governing documents said that it has been diluted to the point of meaninglessness.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Big Chief Howard Miller 60 Minutes Howard Miller is the president of the Mardi Gras Indian Council, a governing body for the tribes, and chief of the Creole Wild West.—
Nichole Marks,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Jack White and Jack Black were the musical guest and host on this week’s Saturday Night Live, which aired on April 4.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The musical takes place in a spectacular outdoor amphitheater that has stadium seating on one side of the stage and the jagged red-and-purple-striped formations of the Badlands rolling out for miles on the other.—
Beverly Gage,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Recently, her kids, ages 11 and 15, participated in a school walkout in protest of ICE without any prompting from her.—
Adrienne Farr,
Parents,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Without any prompting from leadership, there was much discussion in the hallways that Netflix made the right call to exert financial discipline and not get caught up in the hunt.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Modern extremists aren’t known for their love of Broadway, but a song about impressing a girl by killing a president takes on new meaning when sung from the lips of a social media loner.—
Charles Lewis III,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Drasner, a lawyer by trade, joined The News several years after impressing real estate magnate and publisher Mort Zuckerman during a court case where Drasner was representing the opposition.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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