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
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
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
Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The stream ended abruptly, but not before cameras captured Peters’ eyes seemingly rolling back in his head and his body swaying.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Post-breakfast, ditch the golf cart to the beach and instead take the steps down through the spine of the resort, deep within the swaying trees.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
There were bird feeders hanging from the trees, fountains for the pollinators, and wind chimes swaying to and fro from the back porch.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
Just an hour outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and nestled along the Atlantic Coast, Kiawah Island sports all the telltale signs of the Lowcountry—Spanish moss swaying from live oak branches, heavy humidity hanging in the air, and winding estuaries abounding at every corner.
—Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Many in Sacramento are skeptical that Brin and his fellow ultra-rich will succeed in swaying California state politics.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Harris’s support would be crucial to potentially swaying other members of the Freedom Caucus.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
The Jewish community responds With the meme aimed at swaying Jewish voters, in rotation, Howard Libit, the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, says political races should be won fair and square.
—Bryant Reed, CBS News, 22 Apr. 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
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
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
Verb
The sensation of swaying high above the ground might be impossible to quell at the World Cup.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The stream ended abruptly, but not before cameras captured Peters’ eyes seemingly rolling back in his head and his body swaying.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Post-breakfast, ditch the golf cart to the beach and instead take the steps down through the spine of the resort, deep within the swaying trees.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
There were bird feeders hanging from the trees, fountains for the pollinators, and wind chimes swaying to and fro from the back porch.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026
Just an hour outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and nestled along the Atlantic Coast, Kiawah Island sports all the telltale signs of the Lowcountry—Spanish moss swaying from live oak branches, heavy humidity hanging in the air, and winding estuaries abounding at every corner.
—Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Many in Sacramento are skeptical that Brin and his fellow ultra-rich will succeed in swaying California state politics.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Harris’s support would be crucial to potentially swaying other members of the Freedom Caucus.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
The Jewish community responds With the meme aimed at swaying Jewish voters, in rotation, Howard Libit, the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, says political races should be won fair and square.
—Bryant Reed, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaying
Adjective
-
Tripping along a lilting triplet rhythm, the album opens with one of its catchiest melodies—and one of those sleight-of-hand maneuvers that are Hoop’s specialty.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
19 May 2026
-
What started out as a lilting memoir of youthful abandon eventually reveals itself to be something far more disturbing and scarring.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 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
-
The broader macro environment is also affecting consumer choices.—
,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Some of the day’s most affecting moments came from first-time nominees still processing how quickly their lives have changed.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 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
-
At the same time, only one in five companies has a mature model for governing autonomous AI agents, even as agentic AI usage is poised to rise sharply, per the same report.—
Shiv Kaushik,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Reliance on external infrastructure therefore risks leaving African countries dependent not only on foreign technology providers, but on foreign legal frameworks governing sensitive health information.—
Francisca Mutapi,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lead actress in a musical nominee Caissie Levy eagerly joined the bit, who is widely regarded as one of Broadway’s kindest figures.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Neither actor has had much musical experience.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Knowing how to drive is the prompting.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Jakucionis went on to crack the Heat’s rotation in December by impressing coaches with his energy, playmaking skills and ability to hold up on defense.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
Trevor and Josh then tripped around in Bill Hull’s Suburban, impressing girls and joyriding to the coast and up to Eugene with a friend.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaying. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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