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
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Recent Examples of riveted
While millions are riveted by Sunday’s seven-minute jewelry heist of Napoleonic jewels at the Louvre, another major sizable snatching, the 1990 break-in at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, resurfaced in the news in a different way.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
The Adelsons’ involvement in the murder case’s tangled web has riveted those in the state capital — and thousands of internet true crime sleuths — for nearly a decade.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
Many car parts are glued together rather than riveted, screwed, or bolted, and the robots and spray guns that apply those bonding agents need to be cleaned.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
Instead, their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had issues, causing NASA to bring the vehicle back to Earth without the two astronauts, who would stay behind in space — and as time went by, delay after delay extended their visit, leaving the nation riveted.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Democrats now have the option of using the vote to table Schumer’s amendment as political ammo in the midterm election to attack Republicans over Epstein, a subject that has riveted some members of the GOP base for months.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 10 Sep. 2025
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, 9 Sep. 2025
This figure sits comfortably within the simple 36-centimetre (14 inches) upper bound once allowances are made for the lattice geometry, riveted joints, and uneven heating.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025
Ted Koppel’s Nightline, which was launched on ABC News during the period, also kept Americans riveted to the crisis.
—Jonathan Alter, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
The Adelsons’ involvement in the murder case’s tangled web has riveted those in the state capital — and thousands of internet true crime sleuths — for nearly a decade.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
Many car parts are glued together rather than riveted, screwed, or bolted, and the robots and spray guns that apply those bonding agents need to be cleaned.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
Instead, their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had issues, causing NASA to bring the vehicle back to Earth without the two astronauts, who would stay behind in space — and as time went by, delay after delay extended their visit, leaving the nation riveted.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Democrats now have the option of using the vote to table Schumer’s amendment as political ammo in the midterm election to attack Republicans over Epstein, a subject that has riveted some members of the GOP base for months.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 10 Sep. 2025
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, 9 Sep. 2025
This figure sits comfortably within the simple 36-centimetre (14 inches) upper bound once allowances are made for the lattice geometry, riveted joints, and uneven heating.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025
Ted Koppel’s Nightline, which was launched on ABC News during the period, also kept Americans riveted to the crisis.
—Jonathan Alter, TIME, 29 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveted
Verb
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Sherrill’s campaign had focused on restoring trust in government, fixing New Jersey’s troubled infrastructure, and lowering costs for middle-class families.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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Beyond acting, Parker has a wine label in partnership with a company called Invivo, is judging the 2025 Booker Prize contest and works with the States Project, an advocacy group focused on advancing Democrat issues and candidates at the state level.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The conflict has been largely concentrated in Nigeria's northeast, with frequent spillover into other provinces and across the borders of neighboring nations, particularly Cameroon, Chad and Niger.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Burry’s return to social media comes at a time when investors have voiced concerns about expensive valuations, a market concentrated on a handful of large companies and rising investor expectations.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riveted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveted. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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