Writhe vs Sway - What's the difference?
writhe | sway | Related terms |
To twist, to wring (something).
To contort (a part of the body).
*, II.17:
*:Cicero (as I remember) had gotten a custome to wryth his nose, which signifieth a naturall scoffer.
To twist or contort the body; to be distorted.
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
, title= (knot theory) The number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot
The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
A rocking or swinging motion.
Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side; as, the sway of desires.
Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
Rule; dominion; control.
A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion
To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
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*
*:Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
:
*(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
*:As sparkles from the anvil rise, / When heavy hammers on the wedge are swayed .
To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade .
:
*(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
*:This was the race / To sway the world, and land and sea subdue.
To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp.
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*(John Tillotson) (1630-1694)
*:Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest.
(lb) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
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To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
*(Francis Bacon) (1561-1626)
*:The balance sways on our part.
To have weight or influence.
*(Richard Hooker) (1554-1600)
*:The example of sundry churchesdoth sway much.
To bear sway; to rule; to govern.
*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
*:Hadst thou swayed as kings should do.
Writhe is a related term of sway.
As verbs the difference between writhe and sway
is that writhe is to twist, to wring (something) while sway is to move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.As nouns the difference between writhe and sway
is that writhe is (knot theory) the number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot while sway is the act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.writhe
English
Verb
Everton 0-2 Liverpool, passage=The game was engulfed in controversy when Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly in a midfield challenge with Suarez. The tackle drew an angry response from Liverpool's players- Lucas in particular as Suarez writhed in agony - but it was an obvious injustice when the England Under-21 midfielder was shown the red card.}} (Webster 1913)
Noun
(en noun)Anagrams
* whiter * withersway
English
(wikipedia sway)Noun
(en noun)- The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room.
- I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.