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
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
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
From hiking and biking to navigating swaying cruise ships and 500-acre theme parks, shoppers have put these comfy, supportive sandals to the test.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Unlock The Mystery Surrounding A Lone Mailbox Sticking out like a sore thumb along gently swaying sea oats and majestic sand dunes, the Wrightsville Beach Mailbox is a legendary character in this part of North Carolina.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
While many of the notable Art Deco buildings that give the area its charm were constructed in the 1930s, Miami Beach had a second heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, when TV stars including Jackie Gleason helped draw tourists to the town with the backdrop of swaying palm trees and a tropical moon.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Visualization is a huge part of racing, particularly in the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G, and a lot of competitors close their eyes and run the course on a loop in their minds, dipping and swaying with every turn, roller and jump.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Picture the golden glow of Black-eyed Susans and the architectural elegance of native grasses swaying in the prairie breeze.
—Rosehill Gardens, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 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
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
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
From hiking and biking to navigating swaying cruise ships and 500-acre theme parks, shoppers have put these comfy, supportive sandals to the test.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Unlock The Mystery Surrounding A Lone Mailbox Sticking out like a sore thumb along gently swaying sea oats and majestic sand dunes, the Wrightsville Beach Mailbox is a legendary character in this part of North Carolina.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
While many of the notable Art Deco buildings that give the area its charm were constructed in the 1930s, Miami Beach had a second heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, when TV stars including Jackie Gleason helped draw tourists to the town with the backdrop of swaying palm trees and a tropical moon.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Visualization is a huge part of racing, particularly in the speed disciplines of downhill and super-G, and a lot of competitors close their eyes and run the course on a loop in their minds, dipping and swaying with every turn, roller and jump.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Picture the golden glow of Black-eyed Susans and the architectural elegance of native grasses swaying in the prairie breeze.
—Rosehill Gardens, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 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
-
In the face of this uncertainty, companies and other organizations are preparing for a world in which the conflict — and subsequent jolt to crude prices — becomes a long-term challenge, affecting everything from travel planning to mail delivery.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Also affecting Kosovo's economic situation has been a prolonged political crisis that left the country without a fully functioning government for much of last year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 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
-
Brilliant, strong, visionary, a far different approach to governing as that nation’s first woman leader.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Despite these risks, the five-year plans governing the expensive and time-consuming cleanups at the sites often failed to account for damage posed by flooding from sea-level rise and more frequent storms and wildfire, the IG’s review found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Hall’s musical guests trended hip-hop—Tupac Shakur, the Wu-Tang Clan, and LL Cool J all garnered important exposure on the show.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The event included speakers and musical performances, followed by a march.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 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
-
After impressing with five strikeouts in six innings in his first two outings for the Yankees this spring, Rodriguez went off to join Puerto Rico in the WBC and dominated with three scoreless innings in his start against Cuba last Monday.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Some of these pitchers impressing in the spring are actually in the midst of what will be a breakout season.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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