1
as in achieving
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
Napoléon had attained mastery of much of Europe at that point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in earning
to receive as return for effort
with hard work she will inevitably attain success in her chosen profession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attaining
Presenting decent, competitive teams with the prospect of attaining the best lottery odds will only further encourage those in the middle of the standings to hold a fire sale at the trade deadline to try to drop down.
—
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The first season ended on a final note, and became wildly popular upon its 2023 release, attaining the coveted top spot on the streaming viewership rankings and winning eight Emmys.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
For years, Dean Potter stood atop the climbing world, attaining a mystique as a rebellious spirit who carved his own path up mountains and into the sky — through BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
In the photo, Alito has the look of a man attaining his destiny.
—Peter S. Canellos, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
His higher calling hit while attaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering and computer science from the University of Illinois and University of Illinois Chicago, says the 61-year-old pastor.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Liz Breadon, now the City Council president, added at the time that such a mistake could jeopardize an immigrant’s chances of attaining full citizenship.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Oakland’s leaders envision their town attaining similar big-city status.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha as core to attaining enlightenment.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The first season ended on a final note, and became wildly popular upon its 2023 release, attaining the coveted top spot on the streaming viewership rankings and winning eight Emmys.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
For years, Dean Potter stood atop the climbing world, attaining a mystique as a rebellious spirit who carved his own path up mountains and into the sky — through BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
In the photo, Alito has the look of a man attaining his destiny.
—Peter S. Canellos, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
His higher calling hit while attaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering and computer science from the University of Illinois and University of Illinois Chicago, says the 61-year-old pastor.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Liz Breadon, now the City Council president, added at the time that such a mistake could jeopardize an immigrant’s chances of attaining full citizenship.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Oakland’s leaders envision their town attaining similar big-city status.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha as core to attaining enlightenment.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attaining
Verb
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Check out our top picks for achieving his look like a bold pair of eyeglasses, clean suit separates, a crisp shirt and standout accessories including brooches, pocket squares and more!—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
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In another sweeping effort to mitigate a weighty budget deficit and work towards achieving future financial stability, Evanston-Skokie District 65 has announced plans to eliminate all middle school librarian positions beginning next year, according to multiple district officials.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The Hawks carried that hot play into the playoffs, earning back-to-back one-point victories in Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
Prior to founding Serenade, Penn spent the past decade as co-founder and CEO of The Department of Motion Pictures and has produced or executive produced more than 20 films, earning credits at Sundance, Telluride, and Cannes.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Aspen Wooten, a talented tennis prodigy who moved from Memphis to Lake Nona with her family as a ninth grader, had accomplished just about everything available in her four-year high school career — including winning more than 100 matches.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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Schindler also put down the winning kill in both games for the Knights (16-5, 1-1).—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even as anthropologists were decisively abandoning totemism, however, the idea was gaining cultural credibility elsewhere.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
And Chinese carmakers are fast gaining market share there.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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With the Strait of Hormuz still impassable and one-fifth of the world’s petroleum still locked up in the Persian Gulf, oil and gas giants have been reaping rewards from the supply crunch, sparking rebukes and criticisms from environmental and advocacy groups in the process.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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In others words, working people are not reaping the financial benefits that their own labor is producing.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tomlinson, who is originally from Michigan, moved to California after obtaining a political science degree and previously worked as a labor organizer for government employee unions.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
2 May 2026
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Still, travelers may encounter obstacles obtaining their refunds.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Verb
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But by the mid-1920s, Ireland’s focus shifted to garnering a greater sense of stability.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The disinterest by investors in garnering liquidity at a steep discount comes amid a quarter that saw elevated redemptions across most private-credit, non-traded BDCs.—
Leslie Picker,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Moon in Scorpio harmonizes with Jupiter through your 5th House of Creativity, making connection feel more natural, playful, and easy to enjoy.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
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These questions have been haunting Hong Kong for over forty years, about as long as Pau has been making art.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attaining. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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