Varied and motley both describe something that exhibits variety or is made up of many different elements. The adjective varied generally has a positive connotation: a rich and varied career, a varied diet, people from varied backgrounds. Motley, on the other hand, suggests a rather odd assortment or collection of people or things that exhibit great, possibly incongruous variety: a motley assortment of vehicles in the parade; his followers were a motley bunch. By far the most familiar usage is motley crew. A motley crew might not instill confidence as a team that can work together, but as an action movie trope they usually prove everybody wrong.

Convince and sway refer to persuading a person to believe or do something. Convince, which shares a Latin root with “victor,” suggests using argument or evidence to win the assent of someone (Her recommendations convinced me she was right for the job). Sway suggests less definite means and ends. Someone has been swayed when their opinions or feelings shift or lean in the desired direction. Sometimes this is all that can be hoped for when trying to change public opinion—a frequent object of sway, as are juries, elections, and voters, especially undecided ones. Some common agents said to sway the masses are politicians, propaganda, and prejudice. But it can also be said that the presence of a laundry room can sway a couple to purchase a house. You never know what’s going to tip the scales.

Suspicious and leery describe a feeling of distrust or unease towards something or someone. If you are suspicious of the person parked in front of your house, you believe they’re up to no good despite there being no evidence of danger. Suspicious can also describe the object of our mistrust—a suspicious person or package, whereas leery applies only to people or their feelings or thoughts towards something. If you are leery of strangers, you are cautious, wary, or untrusting around them, and maybe avoid them, but you don’t necessarily attribute evil to them: your misgivings may stem from something else—maybe you are shy, or were taught not to trust strangers. A person can also be leery of entering into a particular activity or situation: He remained leery of boats; I am leery about walking home alone at night.