Achieve
What it means
To reach a valued result through sustained effort or skill.
Reach for it when talking about arriving at a goal rather than merely finishing activity
The clinic hopes to achieve same-day access for every urgent case.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday |
|
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal |
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everyday
Fits when a task or objective is brought to completion
Careful Use achieve for reaching a level or outcome that is not a discrete task.
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everyday
earn
Fits when effort produces a reward, trust, or recognized status
Careful Do not imply that every achieved outcome was granted by another party.
-
everyday
reach
Fits when the endpoint matters and the effort can remain unstated
Careful Reach does not carry the same suggestion of earned success.
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professional
Fits when all required parts of a defined piece of work are finished
Careful Completion can occur without meeting the larger outcome the work was meant to achieve.
-
professional
Fits when a promised result is produced for stakeholders
Careful The word is transactional when the sentence is about a private aspiration.
-
professional
Fits when a result is obtained and made reasonably safe or certain
Careful Personal growth can be achieved even when nothing is secured or won.
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formal
Fits when a demanding standard, rank, or state is reached
Careful It sounds too ceremonial for an ordinary item on today's checklist.
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formal
Fits when a plan, hope, or ambition becomes real
Careful A score or certification is attained rather than realized.
Opposites 3
- fail
- forfeit
- abandon
Common phrases 3
-
achieve a goal
Small weekly experiments helped the team achieve a goal that once felt remote.
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achieve success
The program can achieve success without forcing every student onto one path.
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achieve balance
Dana changed the rota to achieve balance between speed and recovery.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated