ACHIEVEMENT Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'achievement' differ from other similar words?

The words exploit and feat are common synonyms of achievement . While all three words mean "a remarkable deed," achievement implies hard-won success in the face of difficulty or opposition. // her achievements as a chemist

Q: When can 'exploit' be used instead of 'achievement'?

In some situations, the words exploit and achievement are roughly equivalent. However, exploit suggests an adventurous or heroic act. // his exploits as a spy

Q: When is it sensible to use 'feat' instead of 'achievement'?

The words feat and achievement can be used in similar contexts, but feat implies strength or dexterity or daring. // an acrobatic feat

achievement

noun

ə-ˈchēv-mənt

Definition of achievement

as in success

a successful result brought about by hard work this improvement in your time for a 10K road race is quite an achievement!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in execution

the doing of an action what you're asking is the achievement of a miracle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in accomplishment

the state of being actual or complete you should be proud of the achievement of your goals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun achievement differ from other similar words?

The words exploit and feat are common synonyms of achievement. While all three words mean "a remarkable deed," achievement implies hard-won success in the face of difficulty or opposition.

her achievements as a chemist

When can exploit be used instead of achievement?

In some situations, the words exploit and achievement are roughly equivalent. However, exploit suggests an adventurous or heroic act.

his exploits as a spy

When is it sensible to use feat instead of achievement?

The words feat and achievement can be used in similar contexts, but feat implies strength or dexterity or daring.

an acrobatic feat

Example Sentences

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 achievement That visibility and imprimatur of achievement has been particularly important for Ferryman, a tiny non-profit that relies on grant funding, donations and ticket sales to keep creating unique experiences, Lyons said. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The timing of the Rock Hall achievement isn’t lost on Stevens, who’s currently on tour with Idol and has, in recent years, observed a new demographic of younger fans appreciating their music like never before. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026 Mason hailed Kidjo as a rare artist whose influence extends beyond her musical achievements. — City News Service, Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026 Yet another form of stigma remains largely untouched, which is the belief that emotional suffering is somehow necessary for exceptional achievement. — Rachel Docekal, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for achievement

Recent Examples of Synonyms for achievement

Noun

And for all the Padres’ successes under private equity wizard Peter Seidler, his biggest bet went bust, the ‘23 Padres missing the playoffs despite his approving MLB’s third-highest payroll.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
The victory snapped a streak that had beguiled the second-year franchise even in the midst of an unprecedented level of success for an expansion team in the WNBA.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of success

Noun

At night, Axira leads a secret operation, smuggling the ruler’s Heartfillers — until one mistake results in her execution date, per the book’s synopsis.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Despite the jury recommending life without parole, the judge went against their wishes and imposed a state execution.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of execution

Noun

Those accomplishments, though, weren’t fresh in mind when Devers stepped into the batter’s box for the first time Friday.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
Yet Anderson said Rasmussen eventually received the respect such an accomplishment deserved.

— Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of accomplishment

Noun

The use of remote lockers and location pickup climbed 14 percent year over year and surpassed buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup as the leading alternative fulfillment method.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
This article is part of our Life on the Other Side of the Game series, which looks at the lessons former athletes have learned in retirement about success, fulfillment and perspective.

— Elise Devlin, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of fulfillment

Noun

Cantu’s wife, who heard her husband, then exits the home and comes to the horrid realization that her husband is dead or dying on the front yard.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
That realization led to the Prebys Foundation’s Healing Through Arts and Nature initiative that connects the community with experiences in arts, culture, and nature.

— Grant Oliphant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of realization

Noun

The current implementation also takes about 69 seconds to run on an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor, leaving substantial scope for optimization.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
The implementation of these checks and balances can be seen as tactical and their uses have evolved over time in ways the Founders might not have envisioned.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of implementation

Noun

What happens when the response to the horror of 9/11 becomes an arena for perpetration of further crimes, rather than the healing of wounds already inflicted?

— Christopher Coffman, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026
Pipkins is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in perpetration of a kidnapping.

— KC Baker, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025

Definition of perpetration

Noun

Webb mentioned his poor performance in Boston in 2024, allowing four runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
The following year, there were six clubs whose goalkeeping performance was below that level, dominated by Nottingham Forest, who used Matt Turner and Matz Sels at different stages in the season.

— Michael Cox, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of performance

Browse Nearby Words

achieved

achievement

achievements

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Achievement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/achievement. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of achievement

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on achievement

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cogent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes