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
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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
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Recent Examples of riven
The country of about 230 million people, by far the most populous in Africa, is split roughly evenly between Muslim and Christian populations and has been riven by violence for decades.
—
Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
The Albanian economy went into a downward spiral, and the country descended into civil strife as it was riven by competing claims of land ownership.
—Lindita Cela, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
This was two years ago, when Newcastle’s first team was riven by injury.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
And yet, for all the buoyancy onstage, Sultana’s party was already riven with deep divisions and suffering from self-defeating impulses familiar to observers of the American progressive left.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riven
Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
The Albanian economy went into a downward spiral, and the country descended into civil strife as it was riven by competing claims of land ownership.
—Lindita Cela, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
This was two years ago, when Newcastle’s first team was riven by injury.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
And yet, for all the buoyancy onstage, Sultana’s party was already riven with deep divisions and suffering from self-defeating impulses familiar to observers of the American progressive left.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for riven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riven
Verb
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American said Monday that five of its nine hub airports were disrupted by the storm, including its largest hub at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.—
Laya Neelakandan,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
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If your travel is or was disrupted, here’s what airlines owe you for the inconvenience.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The 89-minute running time doesn’t allow much exposition, and in fact the opening sequence shows a veterinarian coming to treat a sickly Ben before having his face viciously torn off.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
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While nothing was broken or torn as a result of the hit, the contusion to his quad muscle was so severe that Hunt couldn’t walk for the next two weeks.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Kennedy cousin formerly at the center of the notorious case involving the death of Martha Moxley, the daughter of an affluent Connecticut family, has broken his silence to reveal new loose ends and theories regarding the decades-long mystery.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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By all accounts, Hamid—measured and soft-spoken, inclined to listen before speaking—was doing something irrational, especially in Silicon Valley, where many people would rather start something new than fix something broken.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Materials consistent with homemade explosives and fireworks were found at the site of an explosion and fire that ripped through an apartment building in Los Angeles County, killing a teenager, a report said.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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People are getting ripped from their cars!—
Angela Pelster,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Marion stayed and started the new era with a spectacular TD catch at Utah State, but fractured his collarbone on the play.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
13 Jan. 2026
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Reale, in recent weeks, has been landlocked, hitting his head on a sandbar in Australia, a wipeout that fractured several vertebrae.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riven. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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