MEANING
Split, torn, or violently divided, often by force, injury, or deep conflict.
Use it for
Describe damage or division with a stark, literary edge.Show a surface, body, or community violently split apart.
Words that belong together
- riven stone
- riven by conflict
- riven flesh
On the page
The chapel door stood riven by a single blackened strike.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- riven
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Usage notes
Riven is the established past-participial adjective of rive; it carries a forceful, literary tone.
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