Opdreven

Opdreven is a Dutch verb meaning to drive up or to push upward, and it can also be used to describe accelerating a process, especially when referring to increases in prices, wages, demand, or overall activity. The term is built from the prefix op- combined with the verb drijven (to drive or propel), conveying a sense of upward movement or pressure.

In standard Dutch, the usual past participle is opgedreven, and opdreven is considered a dialectal or older-text variant. Because of this, opdreven may appear in historical writings or in regional speech, but it is generally avoided in contemporary formal writing in favor of opgedreven.

Usage and context: opdreven is most commonly found in economic, policy, or journalistic contexts. It describes upward pressure or escalation—for example, prices or costs being driven up, or demand being accelerated. In practice, you might encounter sentences along the lines of prices have opgedreven or the demand has opdreven. The form opdreven is less common in modern standard Dutch, and speakers often substitute opdrijven or opvoeren for similar nuances.

Etymology and note: the word reflects the idea of upward movement via the directional prefix op- and the verb drijven. Its closest English equivalents are “to drive up” or “to push upward,” though Dutch usage may differ in tense forms and collocations.

See also: opdrijven (to drive up), opvoeren (to increase or step up), inflatie (inflation), prijzen (prices).