as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge
a man with a driven need to be loved or liked by everyone
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as in pushed
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
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4
as in forced
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
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5
as in powered
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
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6
as in moved
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
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as in raced
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of driven
Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
McDonald is leading the company, playing the brash and driven stage mom Rose.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Embarking on a new challenge Successful entrepreneurs are motivated and driven innovators, looking to push boundaries and grasp opportunities and fresh challenges.
—Fiona Simpson, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for driven 
Adjective
Harriman was a woman of action and, on the evidence presented here, a supremely confident, canny, seductive, driven, and discreet one.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
McDonald is leading the company, playing the brash and driven stage mom Rose.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
Shortages could have driven up prices and reignited inflation.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Embarking on a new challenge Successful entrepreneurs are motivated and driven innovators, looking to push boundaries and grasp opportunities and fresh challenges.
—Fiona Simpson, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for driven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for driven
Adjective
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Quezada is diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024
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On the other hand, love styles such as Ludus— the game-playing, non-committal love style— and Mania, the obsessive love style, undermine relationship quality and stability due to the negative relationship behavior involved.Mark Travers, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
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One of the affected cables, known as C-Lion—a vital 730-mile link between Finland and Central Europe—runs alongside other critical infrastructure, including gas pipelines and power lines.Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 23 Nov. 2024
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Evans, a software engineer, ran an acrimonious campaign filled with insults and attacks.Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Birds who pushed the door to the right were transferred into aviaries where the resident birds were pushing the door on the left and vice versa.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
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The Democratic-leaning Latino groups pushed back on that narrative, citing their own polling.Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Both are forces of nature — Bug in an impulsive sense and Bird in a more literal manner that hints of something otherworldly about his existence.Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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The dread of impulsive and cataclysmic decisions in a second Trump term and thousands of federal appointments based on fealty and ideology rather than competence is met on the other side by fears that Vice President Harris won’t make meaningful personnel changes or any new or different decisions.Ryan Craig, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Donald Rainwater candidate profile In the 2020 gubernatorial election, Donald Rainwater rode the wave of anti-government anger during the COVID-19 pandemic to a record performance for a statewide Libertarian candidate.Brittany Carloni and Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Oct. 2024
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People who long for the days when travelers rode the rails can take scenic train rides in Arizona.Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Behind the scenes, however, the White House pressed the sides to come to terms, dispatching officials from the Labor Department, Transportation Department and National Economic Council to resolve their differences.Alain Sherter, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
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Behind the scenes, however, the White House pressed the sides to come to terms, dispatching officials from the Labor Department, Transportation Department and National Economic Council to resolve their differences.Alain Sherter, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Yet Israel’s central bank is not in a position to cut interest rates to breathe life into the economy because inflation is accelerating, propelled by rising wages and soaring government spending to fund the war.Hanna Ziady, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024
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Utilities are having their best rally in decades , propelled by artificial intelligence enthusiasm and the prospect of lower interest rates, but some investors are cooling on the sector.Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The Eagles, who sold more than a hundred and fifty million albums, rode a tide of surly melancholy and bell-bottom jeans much further than anyone expected, and Henley viewed himself not merely as a celebrity with lawyers on call but as a troubadour in the heroic tradition.Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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The hard rubber tires are not pneumatic, but when ridden, deliver a modicum of cushion and a lot of grip.William Roberson, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near driven
Cite this Entry
“Driven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/driven. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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