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
Relevance
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
When the founding leader and first president of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk, took office in 1923, the country was riven by clashes between different ethnic groups.
—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Through intimate encounters and unfiltered conversations, White Man Walking captures a nation riven by fear, disinformation, and historical grievance, while also offering glimpses of empathy and human connection.
—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Venezuela is a country of 28 million people, riven by armed militias, criminal organizations, and Chavista loyalists who haven’t simply vanished because Maduro was helicoptered to New York.
—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
The Venezuelan opposition has always been riven with divisions.
—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rive
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Through intimate encounters and unfiltered conversations, White Man Walking captures a nation riven by fear, disinformation, and historical grievance, while also offering glimpses of empathy and human connection.
—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Venezuela is a country of 28 million people, riven by armed militias, criminal organizations, and Chavista loyalists who haven’t simply vanished because Maduro was helicoptered to New York.
—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
The Venezuelan opposition has always been riven with divisions.
—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rive
Verb
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Even tiny electromagnetic disturbances can disrupt the quantum states that perform calculations, reducing the accuracy and reliability of the system.
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The decision severely hampered local planning for America’s 250th anniversary, disrupting history projects, museums and educational programs nationwide.
Verb
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On June 29, workers were seen installing a red carpet on the venue's signature stairs, only to rip it up a short time later.
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Four people died, including a 12-year-old boy, and several others were injured after at least three tornadoes ripped through that corner of the state.
Verb
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Historic heat Since Thursday, heat in the East has broken at least three dozen daily high temperature records, many warmest-low-temperature records as heat reached levels that some cities haven’t experienced in more than a decade.
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The lead secured, Switzerland shifted to a five-man midfield out of possession, snuffing out the space and challenging the Algerians to play through it, but Petkovic’s charges struggled to break their opponents down.
Verb
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Shakespeare’s haughty Roman war hero, revered on the battlefield yet reviled by hungry plebeians, becomes the flash point in a young democracy tearing itself apart over power and sacrifice.
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That tactic may situate this work within a lineage that includes Jacques Villeglé and Mimmo Rotella, artists who used swiped, torn ads during the postwar era.
Verb
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The latest bout of internal military struggle, which started in 2023, fracturing along every possible fault line—religious, ethnic, political, tribal, and international—has created what the United Nations is calling the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
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Their relationships with their bankers had been fractured as had their contracts with talent.
Verb
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The German priest’s criticisms of the Catholic Church sparked the Protestant Reformation, rending Christianity in two.
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The excellent Julian Quinones’ early goal settled any nerves and then came the emotive, heart-rending second from talisman Raul Jimenez in the second half.
Verb
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If the underlying platform is fragmented, any inherent inefficiency can quickly become a bottleneck for AI scaling.
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In it, DeLillo uses the Kennedy assassination to examine how conspiracy theories give shape and sense to an increasingly fragmenting culture.
Cite this Entry
“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rive. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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