Synonyms of riven

riven

verb

variants also rived

past participle of rive

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

• disrupted
• broken
• fractured
• fragmented
• destroyed
• disintegrated
• reduced
• ruined
• shattered
• smashed
• busted
• dismembered
• broken up
• crushed
• split
• cracked
• ground
• pulverized
• wrecked
• powdered
• burst
• exploded
• blasted
• splintered
• shivered
• popped
• detonated
• atomized
• chipped
• blown up
• slivered
• imploded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• healed
• repaired
• rebuilt
• fixed
• reconstructed
• mended
• patched
• renovated
• reconditioned
• doctored

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

• torn
• ripped
• shredded
• tattered
• split
• cleaved
• broken
• ribboned
• rent
• cut
• ruptured
• incised
• slashed
• lacerated
• dissected
• gashed
• mangled
• hacked
• butchered
• dismembered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of riven

But there is something raw and honest about the way the soulful indie-pop writer-singer translates deep personal emotions into music, especially those feelings riven by doubt and insecurity, inevitable in complicated relationships. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

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