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

• obsessive
• impulsive

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

America’s most dynamic companies rely on a steady pipeline of diverse, driven, and highly educated talent. —Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

The driven teen, who enjoys working out, changed after the Spice hit his system, Irish Sunday People reported. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 9 June 2025

Worse, she is being written as a totally different version of Ellie, one who is less serious and less driven and less capable. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

The most driven, high-performing individuals often harbor the harshest internal dialogue. —Ron Carucci, Harvard Business Review, 15 May 2025

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

Rhymes for driven

• given
• riven
• scriven
• sivan
• striven
• forgiven