RIVEN Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

riven

verb

variants also rived

Definition of riven

past participle of rive

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Some came from families riven by poverty and domestic violence. — Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 6 July 2026 Refugee aid programs have resettled many Congolese families in the suburbs north of the nation’s capital, as their nation has been rived by war, unrest and now an Ebola outbreak. — Jesus Jiménez, New York Times, 30 June 2026 Kennedy and his allies have been highly critical of federal expert panels, often alleging that they are riven with conflicts of interest, despite federal data showing otherwise. — ABC News, 29 June 2026 Membership has become more of an issue in the matters of who is authorized to speak for two other acts that are still listed on the bill, and who have riven current or former members, Milli Vanilli and C&C Music Factory. — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 May 2026 Scout Island, on the north side of the park, is particularly riven through with odd trails and random stick deadfalls. — Outside, 17 Feb. 2026 The school was poorly funded, riven by gang violence, and deeply segregated by race and class. — Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026 When the founding leader and first president of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk, took office in 1923, the country was riven by clashes between different ethnic groups. — Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026 Through intimate encounters and unfiltered conversations, White Man Walking captures a nation riven by fear, disinformation, and historical grievance, while also offering glimpses of empathy and human connection. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riven

Verb

Residents from Minnesota to Washington, DC, told CNN the noxious air has disrupted their lives, seeping into everything from their health and leisure to their businesses and family life.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
The 1859 Carrington Event, the strongest geomagnetic storm on record, disrupted telegraph systems around the world and pushed auroras from their usual high-latitude skies near the Arctic and Antarctic to locations as far south as the tropics.

— Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of disrupted

Verb

Those arrested — many of them torn from their crying children — were detained in squalid conditions for days at a time on the 10th floor that Manhattan Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan earlier this year deemed inhumane.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
Hartshorn has torn through the minors and, at 19, could make it to Double A soon.

— Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of torn

Verb

The shattered standing forlornly by the podium at the end of a draining tournament, hearts broken, bodies exhausted, having to watch as the opposition receive the reward that England were agonisingly close to.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
The team watched out for whether anyone else had broken the world record before the July meet.

— Huo Jingnan, NPR, 18 July 2026

Definition of broken

Verb

By that time thousands of ground-penetrating bombs had ripped through the subsoil with the seismic force of small earthquakes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
In 2018, the Camp fire ripped through Butte County, burning 150,000 acres and killing 85 people.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

The escalating standoff comes as the fragile truce reached last month has fractured, once again disrupting energy flows through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles around 20% of the world's oil traffic.

— Sam Meredith,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 17 July 2026
During the 17th century, Japan was in a state of upheaval, fractured by rival warlords fighting for domination; then, three leaders came together to unite the bushō to bring peace and a new order to Japan.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 17 July 2026

Definition of fractured

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“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riven. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of riven

verb

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