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?"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in governing
archaic
to exercise authority or power over
an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in lilting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of swaying
Anna Haines, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Sep. 2025
Yet somehow, in a medium of heavy copper, Fischl captures the lithe, swaying, physical vitality of Ashe, as well as the high-mindedness of the man who was so committed to social causes.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
Bamboo basket boats swirl through the Bay Mau nipa palm forest—their skippers casting nets in the shade of swaying fronds.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The stabilizing device featured a 400-ton concrete block on a film of oil that would slide in the opposite direction to the building’s motion to counteract swaying.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Fallon then cut to a clip of Butler’s mini swaying moment, which went viral shortly after the concert.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
In his own post, the Cavs guard shared the same photo, along with a clip showing an aerial view of the proposal, which took place by a pool surrounded by swaying palm trees.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Part of that shortage appears to have been addressed with direct appointments by judges from the bench — an uncommon practice that is often avoided over concerns of favoritism swaying those decisions.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Skyrocketing housing costs may be swaying Americans from having children, contributing to plunging birth rates in the country, data suggests.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
And Bunny seemed to be swaying now slightly to our various musics.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
The Chinese elm was standing, the rope swing swaying in a light breeze.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The property sits along Lake Mangonia and is dotted with swaying palm trees, lush plantings, and plenty of nooks for relaxation.
—Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
The sun is out, there’s a cool breeze, and the tree leaves are swaying in the breeze.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
Could her body handle the hip-swaying, leg-kicking, and straight-up flying through the air?
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Sep. 2025
Yet somehow, in a medium of heavy copper, Fischl captures the lithe, swaying, physical vitality of Ashe, as well as the high-mindedness of the man who was so committed to social causes.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
Bamboo basket boats swirl through the Bay Mau nipa palm forest—their skippers casting nets in the shade of swaying fronds.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
The stabilizing device featured a 400-ton concrete block on a film of oil that would slide in the opposite direction to the building’s motion to counteract swaying.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Fallon then cut to a clip of Butler’s mini swaying moment, which went viral shortly after the concert.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
Countless moths beat frenetically around the trap’s white, diaphanous panels, which are swaying with ghostly ripples in a gentle breeze.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
In his own post, the Cavs guard shared the same photo, along with a clip showing an aerial view of the proposal, which took place by a pool surrounded by swaying palm trees.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Part of that shortage appears to have been addressed with direct appointments by judges from the bench — an uncommon practice that is often avoided over concerns of favoritism swaying those decisions.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Skyrocketing housing costs may be swaying Americans from having children, contributing to plunging birth rates in the country, data suggests.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
And Bunny seemed to be swaying now slightly to our various musics.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
The Chinese elm was standing, the rope swing swaying in a light breeze.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
The property sits along Lake Mangonia and is dotted with swaying palm trees, lush plantings, and plenty of nooks for relaxation.
—Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
The sun is out, there’s a cool breeze, and the tree leaves are swaying in the breeze.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaying
Verb
-
Together with other partner proteins, TOR controls how cells respond to nutrients, stress and environmental signals, thereby influencing major processes such as protein synthesis and immune function.—
Ted Powers,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The ripple effects of these delays extend beyond individual cases, influencing public trust and safety.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) easily defeated a challenge by the pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The Uniform Code of Military Justice, the federal law governing the military justice system, spells out how such cases are prosecuted.—
Anne Flaherty,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
With lilting cadences, the king shares the origin myth of his Nkangala people, that a small elephant shed its skin while bathing in the river and a woman emerged, who married and procreated with his ancestors.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Loved seeing Rose Byrne turn on the lilting American accent for her impression of the hostesses at La Cienega Haciendas.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Extracting valuable hypotheses requires careful prompting, iterative feedback, and a willingness to engage in a kind of dialogue with the AI, notes Swanson.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Sep. 2025
-
By generating comprehensive solutions with minimal prompting, ChatGPT-5 removes the need for these mental rehearsals, creating a skill gap between competence and performance.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Some of these actions are affecting pediatricians’ vaccine purchasing directly.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Here are stories about how the impasse is affecting North Carolina, from paychecks and furloughs to shuttered services.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Taylor Swift‘s Life of a Showgirl special theatrical event is rocking at the domestic box office, where it’s headed for a first-place finish with a weekend haul of $28 million to $32 million from 3,702 theaters, according to estimates from Swift’s team and partner AMC Theatres.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The clip finds Meg rocking camo pants, tan boots and a wool hat while dancing to the track in the studio.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On Saturday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tapped Sanae Takaichi, positioning the conservative lawmaker to become Japan’s first female prime minister.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
6 Oct. 2025
-
The country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday voted Takaichi to be the party’s next leader, which is also effectively Japan’s next Prime Minister, setting her up to be the first woman to lead the country.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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