acquired 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of acquirednext
1
as in adscititious

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in nonhereditary

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Dissimilar Words

acquired

2 of 2

verb

past tense of acquire
1
as in developed
to come to have gradually from years of working two jobs, he has acquired the ability to get by on only a few hours of sleep a day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in earned
to receive as return for effort acquired a reputation for always arriving at his friends' house just as they were sitting down to dinner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 acquired
Adjective
Transferring to Paramount+ will be all content currently on BET+ – original and acquired – subject to rights restrictions and license expirations. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
The change in dates will help alleviate the conflict between two important September fairs, which have both been owned by the same company since 2023, when Frieze acquired the Armory Show. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026 Microsoft acquired Maluuba for approximately $160 million in 2017, turning the lab into the foundation of Microsoft AI in Canada. — Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Brie Larson, Kyle Gallner, Daithí Ó Haragáin, Willa Fitzgerald, Ione Skye, John Goodman and Keith Carradine round out the cast for the film that the studio acquired as a package earlier this year in a bidding war out of the European Film Market. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 20 July 2026 Other trending brands in the vintage space include Universal Genève, which has seen a bump in interest since it was acquired by the House of Brands, and pre-Royal Oak Audemars Piguet. — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 20 July 2026 Devon Levi, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres this summer, figures to see limited action during the season. — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 20 July 2026 Linguistic diversity is not a good acquired at no expense to the societies that have chosen it (or been forced to choose it) over homogeneity. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 The Dream improved to 16-10 and Reese is now 2-0 against the Sky since Atlanta acquired her for two first-round draft picks in April. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026 Injury update Guard Ryan Conwell, who was acquired by the Heat in the second round of this year’s draft, missed his second straight summer league game on Monday. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquired
  1. incidental
  2. nonhereditary
  3. developed
  4. earned
  5. surface
  6. cultivated
  7. gained
  8. accidental
Adjective
  • Whether the podcasting asset bubble bursting led directly to the ascendance of YouTube and video podcasting, or was simply incidental to the inevitable growth of YouTube podcasts, is a question reserved for podcast philosophers.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Messi’s incidental presence became melancholy rather than mystical.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of incidental
Adjective
  • Other research shows that nonhereditary forms can result from other factors, including existing medical conditions and diet, reports Maya Yang of the Guardian.
    — David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Aug. 2021
  • Evan, who turns 2 in December, was born with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare, nonhereditary genetic disorder that has a most cruel and unusual symptom — chronic hunger.
    — Maureen C. Gilmer, Indianapolis Star, 14 Sep. 2017
Definition of nonhereditary
Verb
  • Ukraine’s military and civil society have become the experts among Western allies, while Russia and Iran have developed their own capabilities.
    — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The organization had developed language almost twenty years earlier opposing the academic boycott of Israel, making PEN America the only PEN chapter to have a policy opposing a vital form of political expression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • The fourth star and a fairytale send off for Lionel Messi earned through lots of grit, fighting spirit and a bit of magic evaporated into the East Rutherford, New Jersey, air.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • Lamine Yamal’s young brother earned a roar from the crowd when he was shown on the big screen with his parents.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of earned
Adjective
  • Yet, the current market set-up, in which a hyper-concentrated S & P 500 regularly goes the opposite direction of a majority of its components, an understanding of sub-surface influences has become almost a necessity.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Seahawk missions include anti-surface warfare, combat support, humanitarian disaster relief, and combat search and rescue, according to Naval Air Systems Command.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of surface
Verb
  • Lately, though, she’s cultivated a reputation as a literary tastemaker.
    — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026
  • In these dark times, our collective joy and love needs to be documented, embraced and cultivated.
    — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
Definition of cultivated
Verb
  • After getting their start on reality TV in the UK, the Tate brothers have gained notoriety over the years by promoting increasingly misogynistic content online, racking up followers — and criminal charges.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • And the Cup created new stars, like 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who gained millions of Instagram followers after shutting out Spain.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
Definition of gained
Adjective
  • As of July 9, 142 accidental shootings have resulted in 49 deaths and 97 injuries, according to the tracker.
    — Rene Ray De La Cruz, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • More than 900 children die from accidental drownings each year.
    — Tana Carson, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of accidental

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Cite this Entry

“Acquired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquired. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of acquired for Spanish Speakers

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