striven

striven

The athlete has striven for years to reach the Olympic Games.

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.