Influence
Influence verb - To act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response.
Usage example: the news reports of the devastating flood influenced a great many people to make contributions for food and supplies
Sway is a synonym for influence in power topic. In some cases you can use "Sway" instead the word "Influence" as a noun or a verb, when it comes to topics like effect, persuade, behaviour, impact. popular alternative
Sway
Sway noun - The power to bring about a result on another.
Usage example: under the sway of euphoria, she offered to take us all out to dinner in celebration of her new job
Influence is a synonym for sway in power topic. You can use "Influence" instead the word "Sway" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as behaviour, impact, affect, control. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| considerable | considerable influence | considerable sway |
| heavy | heavy influence | heavy sway |
| massive | massive influence | massive sway |
| great | great influence | great sway |
| Other adjectives: enormous, little, slight, noticeable, major, mental, political, less, lingering, significant, greater, greatest, demonic. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- The UN itself apparently has much more power in the 2050s, since it appears holds sway over politics in nations, as one character uses the term, "UN-governed nations." The UN's influence got to be so bad, that China left it sometime before the game, and is arguably better off for it.
Source: United Nations Is a Superpower -
Which was Lampshaded by Itachi, of all people, who said that Sasuke was still pure, and that any influence could sway him.
Source: More Than Mind Control - He did not challenge God himself, but His influence on mankind, saying he'll sway the humanity to corruption, and will show humans are no better.
Cite this Source
Sway and Influence. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/influence/sway
Influence & Sway. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/influence/sway>.
Sway or Influence. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/influence/sway.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "influence" and "sway" have occurred on timeline