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
Herb McCormickKinsey redoubled his efforts. If he had been driven before, now there was a manic quality to his work.—David Halberstam
David Halberstam2
: propelled or motivated by something
—used in combination
results-driven
a character-driven drama
drivenness
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
Michele Magwood
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
Whilst Black from Big Deal Films and A24 stars its creator as Kwabena, a driven Black British filmmaker determined to make work that matters – without selling himself out in the process.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
The new funding will be used to expand Holywater’s platform capabilities, improve recommendation systems, and scale AI driven IP discovery rather than dramatically increasing headcount or production spend.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Jordan Coleman steps in as Cheyenne Barnes, a bold hairstylist whose confidence masks years of unresolved pain, while Tunde Oyeneyin plays Madison Truitt, a driven entrepreneur navigating success, expectations, and the search for real partnership.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 6 Jan. 2026
And not one but two planets—taskmaster Saturn and mystical Neptune—will land in driven, competitive, fiery Aries for years to come.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for driven
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
The new funding will be used to expand Holywater’s platform capabilities, improve recommendation systems, and scale AI driven IP discovery rather than dramatically increasing headcount or production spend.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Jordan Coleman steps in as Cheyenne Barnes, a bold hairstylist whose confidence masks years of unresolved pain, while Tunde Oyeneyin plays Madison Truitt, a driven entrepreneur navigating success, expectations, and the search for real partnership.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 6 Jan. 2026
And not one but two planets—taskmaster Saturn and mystical Neptune—will land in driven, competitive, fiery Aries for years to come.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for driven
Cite this Entry
“Driven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/driven. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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