1
as in to disrupt
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rip
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rive
Online scam factories – many run by Chinese crime syndicates – have proliferated in Myanmar, which has been riven by a bloody civil war since the military seized power in 2021.
—
Kocha Olarn, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Abdullah Rashid / Reuters file The visit, the first such trip to Iraq by a sitting pope, was at the time considered to be dangerous, with Iraq long riven by sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2024
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
In his unvarnished memoir, Laymon explores the cumulative mass of a past that has brought him to this point: his Blackness; his fraught relationship to food; his family, riven by loss and addiction and, in his mother’s case, a kind of pathological perfectionism.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for rive
Kocha Olarn, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Abdullah Rashid / Reuters file The visit, the first such trip to Iraq by a sitting pope, was at the time considered to be dangerous, with Iraq long riven by sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2024
Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
In his unvarnished memoir, Laymon explores the cumulative mass of a past that has brought him to this point: his Blackness; his fraught relationship to food; his family, riven by loss and addiction and, in his mother’s case, a kind of pathological perfectionism.
—New York Times, 8 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for rive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rive
Verb
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Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
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Comments The Four Seasons is an eight-episode Netflix series about middle-aged married couples whose dynamic is disrupted by a divorce in their midst.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
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There's More to That A Smithsonian magazine special report After multiple wildfires ripped through greater Los Angeles earlier this year, Californians were left to rebuild communities and grapple with the loss of life, nature and property.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 May 2025
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After the draft, Beane went on offense by ripping critics who thought Buffalo should have done more to address the receiver position (the team waited until the seventh round to select one and later signed Elijah Moore).—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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But Sentry breaks free from her control and then, fueled by Bob's repressed emotions, transforms into a shadowy figure called The Void, putting New York City and our heroes in dire straits.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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The world’s best reeled off 17 points in a row against Gauff to lead 4-1 in the first set, but the second proved a classic battle of willpower with the American going 5-3 up before her opponent finally broke at the fifth time of asking.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Verb
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Now, against her will, the past had torn through her and over her.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
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But Cohen got Alonso back on a two-year deal, and now the Polar Bear is tearing the cover off the ball.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Verb
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This means evaluating not just what was delivered but how it was delivered and whether that process reinforced or fractured the culture along the way.—
Mary Hemphill, PhD,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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That’s more optimistic than I had been based on other players who fractured their tibias and typically required 4-5 months to return.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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The Seagull The season’s starriest show is Chekhov’s rending play about art, love and loss in a new version from Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier, with Ostermeier directing.—
Matt Wolf,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Even when trauma fragments memory or reality dims our inner fire, time heals, and hope’s flame returns — unapologetically bright.—
Billboard China,
Billboard,
28 Apr. 2025
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That’s the result of federal prohibition, which has fragmented the market and kept brands from achieving national dominance.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rive. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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