variants
also rived
1
as in disrupted
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
road pavement that had been riven by the annual freeze-and-thaw cycle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in torn
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the bitter disappointment threatened to rive my heart in two
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riven
Written in the flush of a new friendship with co-producer, engineer, and musician Sam Weber, the album unspools a suite of folk miniatures riven with discursive melodies as evocative as the cultural ephemera dotted through the lyrics.
—
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025
The House’s action was riven with partisanship.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The government procurement process for military hardware functions intermittently and is riven with inefficiency, bureaucracy and still suffers from corruption.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for riven
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025
The House’s action was riven with partisanship.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The government procurement process for military hardware functions intermittently and is riven with inefficiency, bureaucracy and still suffers from corruption.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for riven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riven
Verb
-
The rise of streaming and shifting business models have disrupted the rhythms on which many of us built stable careers, and production has become increasingly global and complex.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
-
On one hand, companies like Upwork and Fiverr have suffered as generative AI has disrupted simple contract jobs like copyediting and translation.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The nonanswers have left Mueller torn about whether to sell his acreage, which borders the nuclear site.—
Miranda Dunlap,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Tom is torn between loyalty to his dead wife and love for the estranged son who killed her.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed after the game that Warner had fractured and dislocated his right ankle and will need surgery, likely ending his season.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Swift may well be more important today than Adele was a decade ago—but the comparison is apples to oranges because the cultural mainstream has fractured so dramatically since then.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Plus, Magneto ripped out all the adamantium from Wolverine’s body in the penultimate episode, so there’s lots to explore in Season 2.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Some episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have been ripped from the headlines.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Two days after Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl set the single-week modern-era consumption record for an album, the project has now broken the modern-era record for the most albums sold in a week in the United States, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
From this distance, Swift detected the faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl (OH), the product of water molecules broken apart by sunlight, the study reports.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In a rare example of agency for a beneficiary community, 21 emerging Indigenous leaders recently crafted selection criteria, evaluated applicants and picked two dozen finalists to split a pool of $720,000.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The dying relative, Mitch explained, was willing to take the fall for Scott’s killing; then someone else would turn him in, claim the reward money, and split it with them.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riven. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share