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
Many roads in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, are poorly maintained and riven with potholes, causing accidents that claim dozens of lives every year.
—
Reuters, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khamenei’s influential, ideological armed force, has been riven by divisions between its older, conservative commanders and its younger, radical ranks.
—Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
But the pressures on Israel to rein in its survival instincts at a time when it is riven with deep political, religious, and maybe existential divisions are having little obvious traction.
—Nic Robertson, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
The Amos family has been riven by dissension for at least a year, with Shannon having accused her brother of failing to provide adequate health care for their elderly father, who died at 84.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for riven
Reuters, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khamenei’s influential, ideological armed force, has been riven by divisions between its older, conservative commanders and its younger, radical ranks.
—Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024
But the pressures on Israel to rein in its survival instincts at a time when it is riven with deep political, religious, and maybe existential divisions are having little obvious traction.
—Nic Robertson, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024
The Amos family has been riven by dissension for at least a year, with Shannon having accused her brother of failing to provide adequate health care for their elderly father, who died at 84.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for riven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riven
Verb
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Europe accelerated spending on renewables and energy efficiency after Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted natural gas supplies.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Foreign business confidence in China has declined since Covid-19 when pandemic restrictions disrupted supply chains — the domestic economy has remained sluggish, dragged down by a real estate slump and overcapacity in industrial sectors.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The nails can get torn and damaged in various ways too.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But here, Gulf states are torn politically.—
David Mednicoff,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since then, the alliances forged in tragedy have been fractured.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Passing a budget will require Lecornu to get the backing of enough lawmakers in a government that has been fractured between Macron’s governing coalition, the far-left, and the far-right.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The drought grew to 41 2/3 innings before Crim ripped JP Sears’ first-pitch sweeper 439 feet to left-center, scoring Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck, who opened the fourth with back-to-back singles.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
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Justin wore a neon pink hoodie and ripped jeans and sat on a couch while his son Jack, who wore pink leggings, a pink tank top and a pink beanie, leaned over his dad.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From records possibly being broken by The Studio and Severance to Kathy Bates potentially becoming the oldest recipient of an acting trophy in a drama category for Matlock, this year has a lot of exciting moments to look forward to.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But doing more won’t fix what’s broken.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Anderson classification system for turf toe is split into three grades.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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Plans also call for remodeling the existing southern section into 3,700 square feet of additional commercial space, split evenly between two storefronts.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riven. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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