rive
/rʌɪv
/verb (past rived; past participle riven /ˈrɪv(ə)n/)
1 literary Split or tear apart violently: the party was riven by disagreements over Europe figurative he was riven with guilt...
- Despite his position on the progressive wing, he emerged as leader of a party riven with internal divisions in 1976.
- The negotiating process usually starts during the summer and leaves the cabinet riven with dispute as ministers fight it out with Minister for Finance for resources.
- Although Disney's company was riven with conflicts after his death, the firm emerged in the mid-1980s as the prototype of a successful international media conglomerate.
Synonyms
torn apart, split, rent, ripped apart, ruptured, severed
literary cleft, torn asunder, ripped asunder
rare dissevered
1.1 archaic Split or crack (wood or stone): the wood was riven with deep cracks
Origin
Middle English: from Old Norse rífa, of unknown ultimate origin.