driven

adjective

driv·​en ˈdri-vən 

1

a

: having a compulsive or urgent quality

a driven sense of obligation

b

: determined to succeed : highly energetic and motivated

… a versatile yacht captained by a driven skipper who has won everything in the sport …

—Herb McCormick

Kinsey redoubled his efforts. If he had been driven before, now there was a manic quality to his work.

—David Halberstam

2

: propelled or motivated by something

—used in combination

results-driven

a character-driven drama

drivenness

ˈdri-vən-nəs 

noun

He was born two months premature and she has never stopped asking herself whether it was her drivenness, her refusal to rest, that caused it.

—Michele Magwood

Synonyms

• besetting
• compulsive
• impulsive
• obsessional
• obsessive

Examples of driven in a Sentence

They are driven, successful people.

a man with a driven need to be loved or liked by everyone

Recent Examples on the Web

Academic Excellence Award Claire Sitarski, Mount Notre Dame Claire has shown herself to be an exceptionally capable and driven student. —Melanie Laughman, The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2024

Her loved ones described her as an incredibly driven, kind and beautiful individual, the type of person who would create PowerPoint presentations to convince their family to take a trip to Disneyworld and to get a tattoo. —The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see drive entry 1

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing driven

• (as) pure as the driven snow
• driven bonkers
• menu-driven