riveted

American

[riv-i-tid] / ˈrɪv ɪ tɪd /

adjective

fixed in place with or as if with rivets, fastened firmly.

The two sections of the screen are attached to each other with a riveted hinge.
The skillet features a riveted handle which provides a cool and safe grip for the user.
having or using rivets.

Denim for the riveted work pants came from a mill in New Hampshire that was known for the quality of its fabrics.
firmly attentive.

Last winter, the professor lectured on Darwin to a riveted audience in the Plainfield Opera House.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of rivet.

Other Word Forms

unriveted adjective

Etymology

Origin of riveted

rivet ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

As a gay man, he was also riveted by the emotional bond between the lead characters on “Heated Rivalry.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

And it works: The children sit riveted throughout the 20-minute presentation, despite notoriously short preschool attention spans.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

Their small faces are riveted as he passes around a leaf from a California bay laurel tree.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

"These bits here are the most impacted by rust," Petr told me, pointing at a nest of riveted joints and beams.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

Only Al Ulbrickson remained motionless and silent, still riveted to his seat, his eyes cold gray stones locked on the white blades out in the river.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023