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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The government procurement process for military hardware functions intermittently and is riven with inefficiency, bureaucracy and still suffers from corruption. David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 The ability to choose effective players and get the most from them explains how a team riven with injuries has still reached the World Series. Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024 Armies, after all, are not just the sum of their personnel and their equipment; they can be riven with ethnic, racial, class, and other social divisions that invariably shape their capacity to fight. Jason Lyall, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2022 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 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 21 Dec. 2024.

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