Meaning & use
driven individual
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who is strongly motivated to achieve goals and works hard to succeed.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a driven individual' or 'driven individuals' for more than one.
Patterns
- a driven individual
- a highly driven individual
- driven individuals
She is a driven individual who never misses a deadline.
The company looks for driven individuals who can work independently.
As a driven individual, he set up his own business at twenty-two.
Word forms
| plural | driven individuals |
|---|
Common combinations
- highly driven individual
- He is a highly driven individual and rarely takes a day off.
- a driven individual with
- She is a driven individual with a clear plan for her career.
- a driven individual who
- They hired a driven individual who could lead the new team.
- a truly driven individual
- My mentor is a truly driven individual and inspires everyone around her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- go-getter
- Informal and slightly approving; it emphasizes energy and initiative more than inner motivation.
- achiever
- Focuses on results and success rather than the drive itself; often used in 'high achiever'.
- motivated person
- More neutral and general; 'driven' suggests a stronger, almost compulsive push.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: driven individual or driving?
driven individual vs driving
The -ing form of the verb 'drive' (operating a vehicle) or an adjective meaning 'having a strong effect'. Do not say 'a driving individual' for a motivated person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'driven individual' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'driven' to mean strongly motivated. Option 1 uses 'driving', which describes a vehicle or a powerful effect, not a motivated person. Option 2 changes the meaning to literal driving. Option 3 contradicts the sense of being driven.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “driven individual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.