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
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Recent Examples of riven
Advertisement Venezuela is a country of 28 million people, riven by armed militias, criminal organizations, and Chavista loyalists who haven’t simply vanished because Maduro was helicoptered to New York.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
The Venezuelan opposition has always been riven with divisions.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Trump ends the year weak and unpopular, his coalition dispirited and riven by infighting.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for riven
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
The Venezuelan opposition has always been riven with divisions.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Trump ends the year weak and unpopular, his coalition dispirited and riven by infighting.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for riven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riven
Verb
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Richardson said that the loss of grizzlies disrupted the state’s ecosystems and eliminated an animal that was so synonymous with California that its image remains on the state flag, on water bottles and in the names of its university teams.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The vaccination campaign for measles was disrupted during Bangladesh's recent political upheavals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The common bonds that held the fabric of society together have been torn to shreds and sewn together into robes that adorn the would-be benevolent dictators of culture who explain everything, apologize for nothing and lend their credibility to anyone willing to pay their fee.—
Bruce Stockler,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Maybe you’re tempted to splurge on something or invest time in a passion project, but you’re torn between accountability and pleasure.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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John Cantrell Cantrell had broken ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured collarbone.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
By 2011, Yourtz had broken ground on his dream home.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The words could have been ripped from Davie’s final speech.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Thieves broke the windows of several cars in Lakeview and ripped out the airbags from the steering wheels.—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At a moment when our attention is fractured across phones, feeds, and tabs, the gap between occasional readers and obsessive ones has never felt wider.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
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Burden’s family legacy was fractured by infidelity and a laissez faire attitude, at least in the public sphere, toward men behaving badly.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riven. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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