as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
a man with a driven need to be loved or liked by everyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in pushed
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in forced
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in powered
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in moved
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in raced
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 driven
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
Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 May 2026
The missing middle ordinance has not yet driven development up, Soos said.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for driven
Adjective
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
Verb
He is taken under the wing of Andrea Lathe, a doctor driven by her own thirst for victory and power.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 May 2026
The missing middle ordinance has not yet driven development up, Soos said.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for driven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for driven
Adjective
-
Bonus points for prescient insights into the dark side of obsessive super-fandom.—
Laura Zigman,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
-
But although resistance is similarly futile, their goals are less about assimilation than worshipping the obsessive Grant's wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks).—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks made life difficult for him in the halfcourt, and once that happened, Atlanta’s offense kept running into dead ends.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Funding to run the Orange Line 24 hours a day, one of the first major service improvements that acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen floated after lawmakers approved new transit funding last fall.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Re-tooled with new signings, the defensive inadequacies and erratic finishing that had held the club back during his first campaign were eradicated.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But Theobald tooled the Zephyrs’ block, pushing the Tigers over the line with a 25-22 set 4 win.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Now the edge is getting pushed yet again, as the culture transitions from the memeification of one man’s death to delighting in the real-time memes of wars.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Kurt's key takeaways Spaceflight has always pushed the limits of what is possible, but the process has remained slow for a long time.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Liz Leone, who has 52 apartments in Las Vegas and is part of the lawsuit, said the moratorium almost forced her out of business.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Inside, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 is powered by the in-house Caliber 32111, offering a robust 120-hour power reserve—an engineering feat that mirrors the endurance and performance demanded on the track.—
Carol Besler,
Robb Report,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While the chipmaker — and the world's most valuable company — continues to prosper and is expected to show revenue growth of 70% this fiscal year, Wall Street has moved elsewhere, piling into businesses that were hardly visible in the initial years of the artificial intelligence buildout.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
Researchers tested the system in a maze-navigation experiment where the robot moved autonomously without cameras.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Remembering Ted Turner, an American original Ted Turner, the brash, visionary entrepreneur who founded CNN, transformed cable television, raced yachts in the America's Cup, and became one of America's leading conservationists, died May 6 at 87.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
The California fan, Andrea Esperanza Martinez, raced up to her idol.—
Leena Tailor,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Driven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/driven. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
