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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of swaying
Anna Haines, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
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
With Crow leading the verses, the other artists wrapped their arms around each other, swaying and singing.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
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
The possibility of participants betting on their games — and potentially swaying outcomes — was too integral to the integrity of college sports to earn leniency.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Videos on social media showed items in people’s homes gently swaying.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 8 June 2026
Australian scientists believe increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are swaying sharks' migratory patterns, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
With their guns drawn, the three officers at one point were able to surround Jones, who had a small snowbank to his back as began swaying back and forth in the street.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 5 June 2026
The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Bathrooms include illuminated sink basins and cocoon tubs, as well as inside and outdoor showers, shaded by swaying palms.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 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
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
With Crow leading the verses, the other artists wrapped their arms around each other, swaying and singing.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
The possibility of participants betting on their games — and potentially swaying outcomes — was too integral to the integrity of college sports to earn leniency.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Videos on social media showed items in people’s homes gently swaying.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 8 June 2026
Australian scientists believe increasingly crowded waters and rising ocean temperatures are swaying sharks' migratory patterns, which may be contributing to a rise in attacks.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
With their guns drawn, the three officers at one point were able to surround Jones, who had a small snowbank to his back as began swaying back and forth in the street.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 5 June 2026
The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Bathrooms include illuminated sink basins and cocoon tubs, as well as inside and outdoor showers, shaded by swaying palms.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 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
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Effective treatment of obesity could have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond just weight management, affecting metabolic parameters such as heart disease and even cancer.—
Omer Awan,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
The brown seaweed has piled up along beaches throughout the region, leaving behind large mounds that many visitors say are affecting their beach experience.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Of note, recognizing these concerns, the commission voted in December 2025 to establish an ad hoc Governance Committee to review all governing documents and create policies and procedures to allow the pension commission to fulfill its fiduciary duties.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
-
Nepal currently lacks a legal framework governing robotic expeditions on Everest.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The new Broadway comedy made off with major hardware at the June 7 ceremony, winning four statuettes including best musical.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
The show, which justly received the Tony for best musical revival contained perhaps the season’s most seismic tour de force.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The agent can run programs and complete requests without constant prompting.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
These followers, or individuals who react or respond to the prompting of opinion leaders, may not necessarily qualify as opinion leaders themselves.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The attendees debated where all these new treatments might fit in, especially with Eli Lilly currently dominating the market for shots and impressing attendees with data from its experimental triple-acting drug retatrutide that produced the most weight loss seen yet.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
-
As children mature, parents (and society at large) prepare them for adulthood by impressing upon them the fact that their actions have consequences, and their agency increases.—
Ted Chiang,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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