INFLUENCES Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

influences 1 of 2

noun

plural of influence

as in sways

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly a mayor who doesn't hesitate to use her influence to get business leaders behind civic improvements

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in effects

the power to bring about a result on another the basic premise of astrology is that the position of the stars has an influence on human affairs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

influences

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of influence

as in affects

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response the news reports of the devastating flood influenced a great many people to make contributions for food and supplies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of influences

Noun

The retreat in mill buying may have been a factor that sent prices lower, but there could be other influences. — Sj Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 Research consistently shows that trust is one of the strongest influences on charitable giving. — Karen Cochran, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Garifuna people have their own language and culture, rooted in a mix of West African, Arawak, and Indigenous influences. — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026 Yakuza organized ultra-nationalist outfits like the National Essence Society, which aimed to crush such noxious foreign influences as Marxism. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Fayoum mummy portraits were painted primarily on thin wooden panels and placed over the faces of the deceased within mummy wrappings, combining Egyptian funerary traditions with artistic influences from the wider Greco-Roman world. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 But the concept was, in part, sparked by the underrepresentation of Black characters and stories in the medium for its creators, whose Western influences include Static Shock, Samurai Jack and Batman Beyond. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 The result is, literally, a mash-up of everything about the couple’s style, taste, backgrounds, and influences. — Plum Sykes, Architectural Digest, 9 Oct. 2026 Bowie was an admirer or German Expressionism, dating back to his years in Berlin in the ’70s, and also of School of London artists Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach — the influences of which can all be seen in his own work. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Verb

This difference influences how nuclear fuel behaves and how a reactor sustains fission. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Although this can lose some of the intricate ways the global climate influences local weather events, the team was able to achieve a resolution of just 30 square miles, about the size of Glendale. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 El Niño, a shifting climate pattern dictated by ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, influences weather around the world. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 That changes molecular arrangements, and, in turn, the change influences the local electrical environment and chemical reactivity. — Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026 Framing theory explains how the presentation of information in the media influences the way people process and interpret it. — Heather Lamarre, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 That benchmark rate has a direct impact on credit card rates and influences other borrowing costs, too. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 One person influences another person, who influences somebody else. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 In practical terms, what happens in your mouth influences your gut, and what happens in your gut influences your mouth. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for influences

Noun

And Soorty’s Rebellion Noir concept leverages overdyeing, creating dark, moody denim.

— Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026
According to Archer, Halo leverages technologies refined through nearly eight years of electric aircraft research and testing.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026

Definition of leverages

Noun

Forecasters say this year's could be among the strongest on record, and its effects are already being felt across South America and far beyond.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Engineers need experimental evidence to understand those effects and refine their designs.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of effects

Verb

This affects the product fit cycle, from shoe development to the retail fitting floor.

— Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
The California Department of Public Health said the recall affects pastries with potential exposure to six allergens, including tree nuts, eggs, milk and wheat.

— Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of affects

Noun

Two more people were killed in a Russian attack Tuesday on warehouses on the outskirts of Dnipro in central Ukraine, authorities said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Russian authorities accused the Michigan man of signing a contract with Ukraine’s military in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

— Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of authorities

Noun

The transition to non-fossil energy has its own inflationary impacts, from the costs to heavy industry of adopting new technologies to the production costs of critical minerals.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The findings suggest the impacts of losing Thwaites might have been underestimated.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of impacts

Verb

Gunna somehow returns one of Gauff’s blistering serves into the net to kick off the clip, which impresses the 22-year-old tennis star.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
If Smith impresses in training camp, his non-guaranteed deal could be converted to a standard contract.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of impresses

Noun

No day in Gaza is normal, but Friday stood out for its shouts of delight as athletes pulled trucks, flipped massive tires and heaved weights in a strength competition that drew cheering crowds.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
The weights sit on the back and sides, meaning the front part of the chest stays unencumbered while the wearer gets her workout in.

— Eliza Thompson, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of weights

Verb

The film’s multigenerational story touches on the cultural inheritance passed between mothers, daughters and grandmothers — whether through old traditions or ordinary rituals.

— Johanna Ferreira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Saxberger is wary, but Meyers’s admiration touches something, and soon the older man’s convinced to join a nightly meeting of young aesthetes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of touches

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influenced

influences

influencing

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“Influences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/influences. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of influences

noun

verb

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