driven
Americanverb
adjective
-
being under compulsion, as to succeed or excel.
a driven young man who was fiercely competitive.
-
controlled or propelled by something specified (used in combination).
a market-driven approach to retaining talent; data-driven business strategies; a water pump that is solar driven.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of driven
First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective for an earlier sense
Explanation
If you're driven, you're strongly compelled or motivated to achieve a goal. If you're a driven gymnast, you spend hours in the gym each night perfecting your balance beam routine. If you know someone who is incredibly ambitious and hard working, you can call them driven. It takes a driven student to make it through medical school, and a driven dog musher to complete the Iditarod. In other words, you need drive, or determination, to achieve these things. Driven can also mean "moved and piled into drifts by wind," often in the phrase "driven snow." When combined with another noun, it can mean "propelled or powered," as in "a wind-driven boat."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF is near a record high, driven by 13% higher sales and 46% higher earnings-per-share estimates.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
UniCredit has said its earlier swoop on the lender had already driven up its share price, reducing the premium it should offer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
For Muneoka, those questions have driven decades of research and now have a promising new framework.
From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026
Benchmark analyst Michael Albanese wrote Wednesday that the better-than-expected quarterly results were driven by a “deliberate shift” to prioritize volume at the expense of gross profit per unit.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
The plant workers who stayed were driven by a sense of duty.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
