On this page12 sections
- Quick picker
- Verbs: changing a result or a situation
- Verbs: changing what people think or do
- Verbs: being the source of an idea or work
- Nouns: the effect something has
- Nouns: power over people and decisions
- People who influence others
- When the influence is unfair or harmful
- Sets for essays, work and CVs
- Pairs that are easy to mix up
- Practice
- Quick answers
The most useful other words for influence as a verb are affect, shape, sway, persuade and have an impact on. As a noun, the closest are impact, effect, power, sway and, for a person’s social or political weight, clout and pull. The right one depends on what kind of influence you mean: changing a result, changing someone’s mind, or simply having power over people.
Below, the synonyms are grouped by those meanings, each with an example. After them you will find words for good and bad influence, sets for essays, work writing and CVs, a few pairs people often mix up, and a short practice with answers.
Quick picker
| You mean… | Try | Example |
|---|---|---|
| change how something turns out | affect, shape, determine, have an effect on | The weather will affect the harvest. |
| change what someone thinks or does | persuade, sway, convince, win over | Her speech swayed the undecided voters. |
| guide something gently over time | shape, mould (US: mold), steer, guide | Good teachers shape how children see themselves. |
| be the cause of an idea or work | inspire, inform, underlie | Her childhood in Lagos informs every chapter. |
| the effect something has | impact, effect, consequence, mark | The new law had little effect on prices. |
| power over people or decisions | power, clout, pull, sway, leverage | He has real clout in the party. |
| a person who influences you | role model, inspiration, mentor | My aunt was my first role model. |
| bad or unfair influence | manipulate, pressure, corrupt | Investors claimed the board was pressured into the deal. |
Verbs: changing a result or a situation
- affect – the plainest swap; neutral and fine anywhere. “Lack of sleep affects memory.”
- have an effect on / have an impact on – a little more formal and good when you want to talk about size: “a big impact”, “little effect”.
- shape – influence that builds something over time. “The war shaped a whole generation.”
- determine – stronger: the thing decides the result. “Your score determines your place.” Use it only when the link is that direct.
- bear on / have a bearing on – formal; something is relevant and may change a decision. “His past does not bear on this case.”
- condition – formal, often in science and social science: “behaviour conditioned by early experience”.
- tip the balance / tip the scales – influence that decides a close contest. “Her experience tipped the balance in her favour.”
Verbs: changing what people think or do
- persuade and convince – by giving reasons. Strictly, you persuade someone to do something and convince someone that something is true, though everyday English blurs this. “She persuaded me to apply.”
- sway – move someone’s opinion, especially when they were undecided. “The debate did not sway many voters.”
- win over / bring round – informal; turn someone from against to for. “It took a month to win my parents over.”
- prompt and lead – make someone take an action. “The report prompted a review of safety rules.”
- motivate and inspire – influence that gives energy or ideas. “His story inspired me to start running.” For urging someone on, see another word for encourage.
- steer and guide – influence that points someone in a direction without forcing them. “The teacher steered the discussion back to the poem.”
Verbs: being the source of an idea or work
When an artist, a book or an experience influences someone’s work, writers often reach for these:
- inspire – “The film was inspired by a true story.”
- inform – formal and very common in reviews and academic writing: “Her nursing career informs the novel’s hospital scenes.”
- leave a mark on / leave its mark on – “Punk left its mark on fashion for decades.”
- draw on (the other way round: the person who is influenced draws on the source) – “The album draws on 1970s soul.”
- owe a debt to – “Every modern detective story owes a debt to Poe.”
Nouns: the effect something has
| Word | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| effect | neutral, any result | the effect of music on mood |
| impact | a strong or noticeable effect | the impact of social media on teenagers |
| mark / imprint | a lasting trace | Her years in Paris left an imprint on her painting. |
| consequence | a result, often unwanted | the consequences of the decision |
| bearing | relevance to a decision (formal) | This has no bearing on the outcome. |
| ripple effect | influence that spreads outward | The closure had a ripple effect on local shops. |
Nouns: power over people and decisions
- power – the general word. “She has the power to approve budgets.”
- sway – slightly literary: “a man who held sway over the whole valley”. Hold sway means to have the most power or influence.
- clout – informal; political or business weight. “Big retailers have the clout to push prices down.”
- pull – informal; influence through connections. “He got the job because his father has pull at the firm.”
- leverage – power you can use to get what you want in a negotiation. “Owning the land gave them leverage.”
- authority – power that comes from a position or from expertise. “She speaks with authority on climate law.”
- weight – how much an opinion counts. “His view carries a lot of weight with the board.”
- a say – the right to influence a decision. “Workers want a say in how the shifts are planned.”
- a hold over – control over someone, often unhealthy. “The cult leader had a strange hold over his followers.”
Power and influence attract a lot of imagery – pulling strings, the power behind the throne, holding the reins. For those, see metaphors for power.
People who influence others
- role model – someone whose behaviour others copy, usually in a good way.
- inspiration – “She was an inspiration to every girl in the club.”
- mentor – an experienced person who guides a less experienced one.
- opinion leader / thought leader – business and marketing terms for someone whose views others follow. Thought leader can sound like jargon, so use it with care.
- influencer – today this almost always means a social media personality paid to promote products. If you mean an influential person in general, influential figure avoids the confusion.
- power broker / kingmaker – someone who decides who gets power, mostly in politics.
- the power behind the throne – the person who really makes the decisions while someone else holds the title.
When the influence is unfair or harmful
- manipulate – influence someone cleverly and dishonestly. “He manipulated his friends into lending him money.”
- pressure / pressurise (UK) – push someone hard. “Don’t let them pressure you into signing.”
- corrupt – make someone dishonest or immoral. “Power corrupted him.”
- a bad influence – a person who leads others into bad behaviour. “Her parents thought I was a bad influence.”
- undue influence – a legal term for pressure that takes away someone’s free choice, for example over a will.
- under the influence – affected by alcohol or drugs. It is a fixed phrase, so do not use it for any other kind of influence.
Sets for essays, work and CVs
Essays and reports
affect, shape, contribute to, inform, have a significant effect on, play a part in, be a factor in. “Several factors shaped the outcome of the election.” Avoid absolute verbs such as determine or cause unless your evidence supports them.
Work emails and meetings
have an impact on, affect, steer, guide, have a say in. “The delay will affect the launch date.” “I would like to have a say in the hiring decision.”
CVs and cover letters
Show influence through an action and a result rather than the word influenced: persuaded, shaped, steered, led, championed, won over. “Persuaded the board to fund a staff training scheme.” “Shaped the new onboarding process for 40 hires.” Only claim what you really did.
When you mean that something matters rather than that it changes something, the words are different: see another word for important. For words about making something better, see another word for improve.
Pairs that are easy to mix up
| Pair | What to remember |
|---|---|
| affect / effect | Usually affect is the verb and effect is the noun: “The rain affected the game; it had a big effect.” (To effect a change means to bring it about, which is a different meaning.) |
| impact (verb) | “The cuts will impact schools” is common in business and news writing, but some editors and teachers dislike it. In formal essays, affect or have an impact on is the safer choice. |
| influence on / influence over | Influence on a thing or a result (“an influence on her writing”); influence over people or a group you have power over (“influence over the committee”). Do not say “influence to”. |
| influential / influent | The adjective is influential. Influent is a technical word for liquid flowing in. |
| persuade / convince | Persuade someone to do something; convince someone that something is true or of it. |
Practice
Choose the best word for each gap.
- Rising fuel prices will ______ the cost of flights. (affect / effect)
- Her opinion carries a lot of ______ with the manager. (weight / bearing)
- He got the contract because his uncle has ______ at the ministry. (pull / imprint)
- The lawyer argued that the old man signed the will under ______ influence. (bad / undue)
- Her years as a nurse ______ the hospital scenes in the novel. (inform / determine)
- We finally ______ my grandfather ______ to the idea of a smartphone. (won … over / swayed … over)
- The speech did not ______ many voters. (sway / clout)
Answers: 1 affect; 2 weight; 3 pull; 4 undue; 5 inform; 6 won … over; 7 sway.
Quick answers
What is a formal word for influence?
Affect, shape and have an effect on work for the verb; impact, effect and authority for the noun. In academic writing, inform and contribute to are common.
What is a stronger word for influence?
Determine, dictate or control for the verb, when the influence decides the result; power, hold or dominance for the noun.
What is a positive word for influence?
Inspire, guide, shape and motivate. For a person: role model, inspiration or mentor.
What is another word for “influenced by” in an essay?
Shaped by, informed by, inspired by or drawing on: “a style shaped by early jazz”.
What is another word for “a big influence”?
A major influence, a big impact, a formative influence (for something that shaped you when young) or a driving force.
For how words like these work as imagery in writing, see the figurative language guide.