riven

adjective

riv·​en ˈri-vən How to pronounce riven (audio)
: split apart
riven wood [=wood split apart along the grain]
: divided into pieces or factions
a riven nation
… beautifully nuanced portraits of a riven people, separated by more than an ocean.Mylène Dressler

Examples of riven in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Democrats are nearly three weeks removed from their first popular vote defeat in a presidential contest in two decades and are riven about how to avoid a similar defeat in four years. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Nov. 2024 If Elden Ring’s world is one riven by competing rhetorics of death, none of them sufficient, Shadow of the Erdtree’s is one in which they have all been abandoned, unreplaced: a world where death is meaningless—and life with it. Gabriel Winslow-Yost, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 But even if Lebanon remains riven by sectarian divisions and vulnerable to foreign interlopers, the risks and rewards of Hezbollah’s setback — no matter how temporary — present a tantalizing opportunity for a political revival and perhaps real national unity. Matt Bradley, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2024 Hailing from the southern state of Tabasco, López Obrador won election on a promise to end entrenched corruption and reduce the income gap in a country riven by economic and racial inequalities that were accentuated by the North American Free Trade Agreement. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for riven 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of riven was circa 1560

Dictionary Entries Near riven

Cite this Entry

“Riven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riven. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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