Definition

Striven is the past participle form of the verb strive. - Verb (past participle): to have made great efforts or struggled in order to achieve something. - It implies a sense of earnest, intense, and sustained effort, often against difficulties or obstacles.

Usage Examples

• (She has made continuous, intense efforts to improve her skill.)
• (They exerted great effort to finish on time.)
• (He has worked hard to conquer his personal challenge.)

Advanced Usage

• "striven for": used to indicate the goal or objective of the effort.

  • They have striven for justice in their community. (They have worked tirelessly to achieve fairness.)

• "striven against": used to indicate the opposition or obstacle.

  • She has striven against poverty her entire life. (She has fought hard to overcome economic hardship.)

• "striven to": followed by an infinitive verb, indicating the action attempted.

  • He has striven to understand complex theories. (He has made a serious attempt to comprehend difficult ideas.)

Variants and Related Words

• Strive (verb, base form): to make great efforts.

  • We must strive for excellence in all we do.

• Strove (verb, simple past): the past tense of strive.

  • She strove to finish the race despite her injury.

• Striver (noun): a person who makes great efforts.

  • He is a striver who never gives up on his goals.

• Striving (noun/adj): the act of making great efforts; characterized by effort.

  • Her striving for perfection sometimes exhausts her.

Synonyms

• Labored: worked hard and persistently.
• Endeavored: attempted with serious effort.
• Struggled: made forceful or violent efforts, often against difficulty.
• Toiled: worked very hard over a long period.
• Wrestled: struggled with a challenge or problem.

Related Idioms

• Strive against the tide: to struggle against prevailing opinions or trends.

  • He has striven against the tide of public opinion to promote his ideas. (He has fought against the majority view.)

• Strive for the stars: to aim for the highest possible achievement.

  • She has striven for the stars in her academic career. (She has set extremely ambitious goals.)

Grammar Notes

• Striven is used with auxiliary verbs have, has, or had to form perfect tenses.
  • I have striven (present perfect) – They had striven (past perfect).
• It is rarely used as a standalone verb (e.g., "She striven" is incorrect; it must be "She has striven").
• Striven is less common in everyday speech than tried or worked hard, but it is more formal and poetic.