Thesaurus results for RIVETED

riveted

verb

past tense of rivet

as in focused

to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of riveted The case riveted the public and spawned true crime documentaries, podcasts and books. — Dianne Gallagher, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Eating disorders can carry what Scaringi calls a whiff of the salacious, and feeling riveted by someone’s changing body isn’t the same as caring about their well-being. — Angela Haupt, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 Carter had been weakened by the Iran hostage crisis, which had riveted the country for the previous year, but the Reagan campaign worried that if Carter secured a hostage release just before voters headed to the polls, the election would be his. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026 But like many other Venezuelans, I am riveted by the pictures of endless rubble, of buildings whose facades have collapsed, displaying the rooms inside like dioramas of life before disaster. — Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026 The case riveted the nation for months. — Austin Mullen, NBC news, 28 June 2026 In a world riveted by an unprecedented fossil fuel crisis, does anyone have time for a big summit on climate change? — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 June 2026 Fifty years ago audiences were riveted by that thriller that focused on two relentless newsmen, played by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, who were digging into the seedy mysteries of the Watergate scandal. — Peter Bart, Deadline, 7 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riveted

Verb

Her physical injuries Testimony early in the week focused on the extent of Clancy’s physical injuries and medical recovery after her suicide attempt.

— Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
During the primary, Raman and independent group supporting her focused on ads on social media and streaming platforms, which are cheaper than traditional television ads.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of focused

Verb

This was a 10% increase compared to 2024, with much of that growth concentrated in East and West Africa.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
The findings suggest the problem is not a rare glitch, but a persistent pattern concentrated in a small slice of a catalog.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of concentrated

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riveting

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“Riveted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riveted. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of riveted

verb

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