Jeffrey Eugenides

I mean, when I got to Brown, the place was riven, because you had older professors who were basically new critics and had been teaching a certain way for 30 years. And then you had this other gang who was down with the semiotic program. And as a student, you were, in a way, forced to choose which cohort you were going with.

American Novelist

Sabine Baring-Gould

We are accustomed in England to chalk in rolling downs, except where bitten into by the sea, but elsewhere it is riven and presents cliffs, and these cliffs are not at all like that of Shakespeare at Dover but overhang, where hard beds alternate with others that are friable.

English Clergyman

Pankaj Mishra

To Westerners, the students at Tiananmen may have given an impression of a solid and energetic consensus against dictatorship and for democracy, but they were an egotistical and fractious lot, riven by disagreements over tactics and money.

Indian Novelist

In the depths of the moor, the peat may be seen riven like floes of ice, and the rifts are sometimes twelve to fourteen feet deep, cut through black vegetable matter, the product of decay of plants through countless generations.

Melvyn Bragg

In music, the Specials brought a city, Coventry, bombed out for a second time and riven with racism, to a celebration between black and white musicians and their music.

English Journalist

Chang-Rae Lee

Like most people, I'm fascinated by characters who are completely flawed personalities, riven by anguish and doubt, and are psychologically suspect.

South Korean Novelist

Use 'riven' to describe profound and often painful divisions that are difficult to resolve.

Conflict and Separation

It's often used metaphorically to talk about separation in relationships and groups, not just physical objects.

Metaphorical Use

'Riven' as an adjective highlights serious disagreement within a group, not between different groups.

Internal Conflict

Use 'riven' in situations carrying strong emotional weight rather than minor squabbles.

Strong Emotion

When talking about a reputation, 'riven' suggests severe and sometimes irreparable damage.

Reputation Impact

'Riven' can imply a deep emotional hurt or betrayal when referring to trust and relationships.

Emotional Depth

 the unbearable acts of violence that we've -- Acts of violence against the black community that we've witnessed, the dangers to a nation riven by anger and fear. And how on earth we can move forward from this to something better.