driven
B2Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
The past participle of 'drive', meaning to have been forced, compelled, or motivated to move or act, or to have operated a vehicle.
Describes a person who is highly motivated, determined, and focused on achieving goals, often intensely and relentlessly.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As an adjective, 'driven' focuses on the internal motivation or external pressure causing action. It can be positive (ambitious) or negative (compulsive, obsessed).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The adjective usage is identical. In verb contexts, UK usage might slightly prefer 'have driven' in some perfect tense constructions where US might accept simple past 'drove'.
Connotations
Identical. Both associate the adjective with strong ambition and focus.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be driven by [noun phrase] (motivation)be driven to [infinitive verb]have driven [object]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “driven to distraction”
- “as pure as the driven snow”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Describes ambitious employees or strategy influenced by factors (e.g., 'a customer-driven approach').
Academic
Used in social sciences to describe behaviour caused by factors (e.g., 'behaviour driven by instinct').
Everyday
Describes someone very hard-working or a past action (e.g., 'I've driven there before').
Technical
In engineering: 'a gear-driven mechanism'; in computing: 'event-driven programming'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Have you ever driven on the left-hand side?
- She had driven for hours before she found a service station.
American English
- I've driven a truck across the country.
- The storm had driven the waves over the seawall.
adverb
British English
- This use is not standard. No examples.
American English
- This use is not standard. No examples.
adjective
British English
- He's a terribly driven young executive, always checking his emails.
- The new policy is largely data-driven.
American English
- She's a driven athlete, training seven days a week.
- Their strategy is market-driven and highly responsive.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My father has driven a taxi for ten years.
- She was driven to school by her mum.
- He is driven by a need to help others.
- The company's success is driven by innovation.
- Her fiercely driven personality sometimes intimidates her colleagues.
- Investment decisions should be driven by thorough analysis, not emotion.
- The relentless, profit-driven culture eventually led to employee burnout.
- Historians argue that the migration was driven by a complex confluence of economic and climatic factors.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a car's DRIVE shaft: it's the part that makes it go. A DRIVEN person has an internal 'drive shaft' pushing them forward.
Conceptual Metaphor
MOTIVATION IS A FORCE THAT PROPELS / DRIVES A PERSON (e.g., 'driven by fear'). A PERSON IS A VEHICLE (e.g., 'She is driven').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating the adjective 'driven' as 'водимый' (which is passive). Use 'целеустремлённый', 'мотивированный', or 'одержимый' (if negative).
- In perfect tenses, ensure 'have driven' is not confused with simple past 'drove' ('I drove' vs. 'I have driven').
Common Mistakes
- *He is very driving. (Incorrect adjective form; use 'driven'.)
- Confusing 'driven' (adj.) with 'driver'.
- Using 'driven' as a simple past verb: *Yesterday I driven to work. (Incorrect; use 'drove'.)
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'driven' used as an adjective?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It is primarily the past participle of the verb 'drive', but it is also a very common adjective meaning 'highly motivated'.
Both imply a reason to act. 'Driven' is stronger, suggesting an almost compulsive or relentless intensity, while 'motivated' is more general.
Yes. While often positive (ambitious), it can imply someone is obsessive, compulsive, or unable to relax (e.g., 'driven by insecurity').
Yes, that is a standard and correct use of the adjective 'driven' with the infinitive 'to succeed'.