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
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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
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
Imagine swaying to Latin rhythms, a taco in one hand, your partner’s hand in the other.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
The budding photographer started bringing a camera with him on his underwater adventures to document his dives, with imagery posted on social media sharing sea species such as leopard sharks and swaying kelp forests that dance with the ebb of the ocean.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 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
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
Imagine swaying to Latin rhythms, a taco in one hand, your partner’s hand in the other.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
The budding photographer started bringing a camera with him on his underwater adventures to document his dives, with imagery posted on social media sharing sea species such as leopard sharks and swaying kelp forests that dance with the ebb of the ocean.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 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
-
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
-
Careers involving children, healing, cooking, interior design, real estate, food content, wellness, and lifestyle influencing thrive.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 5% on Monday as oil prices surged to nearly $120 a barrel, driven by Middle East war disruptions affecting global oil supplies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The closing of the strait is affecting Gulf producers unevenly and testing the limits of their contingency plans.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The two sides have been lurching toward this end for a while now.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When raising money consumes so much of a lawmaker's schedule, governing risks being squeezed into the margins.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Her government is also set to scrap restrictions on lethal arms exports in the coming weeks to promote the development of Japan’s defense industry and cooperation with friendly nations, based on a proposal recently submitted by her party and its governing coalition partner.—
Mari Yamaguchi,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His musical roots reach back to when his father taught him to play the guitar at 7 years old.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Many Black and female composers, such as Bob Cole and Kay Swift, helped pioneer the musical in the early 1900s, as did stars including Bert Williams and Florence Mills.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 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
-
At its core, securing a listing is not about impressing an owner with accolades or confidence alone.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Now, Lombard, 20, is impressing early this spring, registering loud contact, making highlight reel plays at shortstop, second base and third base, and even homering off one of the best pitchers of the game, Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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