as in focused
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective
everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of riveted
Grace detailed her thoughts about the case that has riveted Americans as part of her opening keynote conversation Friday at Variety’s inaugural True Crime Summit at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
And for a few hours on a Sunday morning at least, on a February day without the NFL or the NBA All-Star Game or the Daytona 500, this likeable group of American hockey players riveted a nation, and maybe even united the country.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Feb. 2026
The oral arguments Wednesday were the latest twist in the sprawling Murdaugh saga that has riveted the public and spawned true crime documentaries, podcasts and books.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The all-new Endless Highways Frontier Edition takes the brand's most powerful trailer to new aesthetic heights, warming up the interior of the vintage riveted-aluminum fuselage with a rustic cabin inspired by the mountain ranches and pioneer homesteads of the American West.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Bells made of copper or composition metal (like steel) are cut from sheets of metal, then folded, riveted, and shaped.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
When Shahs of Sunset premiered on Bravo in 2012, viewers were instantly riveted.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Jan. 2026
She is riveted as the actor playing Prince Hamlet (Noah Jupe) is onstage with her husband, Will, playing the ghost of his father, King Hamlet.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Even with my winter boots and sturdy soles, caution dictates a short stride, a shuffling gait end eyes riveted to the slippery ground.
—Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
And for a few hours on a Sunday morning at least, on a February day without the NFL or the NBA All-Star Game or the Daytona 500, this likeable group of American hockey players riveted a nation, and maybe even united the country.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Feb. 2026
The oral arguments Wednesday were the latest twist in the sprawling Murdaugh saga that has riveted the public and spawned true crime documentaries, podcasts and books.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
The all-new Endless Highways Frontier Edition takes the brand's most powerful trailer to new aesthetic heights, warming up the interior of the vintage riveted-aluminum fuselage with a rustic cabin inspired by the mountain ranches and pioneer homesteads of the American West.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Bells made of copper or composition metal (like steel) are cut from sheets of metal, then folded, riveted, and shaped.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
When Shahs of Sunset premiered on Bravo in 2012, viewers were instantly riveted.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Jan. 2026
She is riveted as the actor playing Prince Hamlet (Noah Jupe) is onstage with her husband, Will, playing the ghost of his father, King Hamlet.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Even with my winter boots and sturdy soles, caution dictates a short stride, a shuffling gait end eyes riveted to the slippery ground.
—Thomas Cangelosi, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveted
Verb
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Her candidacy has focused on her working-class roots and role as a caretaker for a disabled sister.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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The images, taken from a camera fastened to a fence and focused on the back of the house and another that showed the driveway and front of the garage door, captured family members, landscapers and pool workers stretching back weeks prior to the kidnapping.—
Pat Milton,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Turning those designs into engines that can be produced reliably at scale remains a capability concentrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.—
Ram Charan,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, the birth of this enormous sweeping bar may have initially concentrated gas to help trigger star formation and then propel stars outward, the researchers suggested.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riveted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveted. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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