acquired

American  

[uh-kwahy-erd] / əˈkwaɪ ərd /

adjective

1. obtained or procured, such as by purchasing, receiving, learning.

2. Medicine/Medical. (of a disease or condition) developed by the patient at some point after birth.

3. Biology. (of a trait) developed by an organism in response to its environment; not inherited.

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Other Word Forms

• nonacquired adjective
• pre-acquired adjective
• reacquired adjective
• self-acquired adjective
• unacquired adjective

Explanation

The adjective acquired describes something you're not born with: you gain or develop it later in life, like your acquired taste for coffee. Acquired comes from the Latin word acquirere, meaning "to seek in addition to. Something acquired is something you have gotten, not something you always had. For example, you may have acquired the habit of buying lots...and lots of sneakers after getting a job in a shoe store. Or, if you have an acquired habit of reading novels, this is something that developed over time. After all, you weren't born reading!

Example Sentences

Now, SpaceX regularly launches Falcon 9 rockets, has developed a major satellite-internet business, is testing a mega-rocket and has acquired Musk’s artificial-intelligence startup.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Earlier this month, Anthropic acquired biotech startup Coefficient Bio, according to a person familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

As a scout and general manager, he was a key architect of the Showtime Lakers teams of the 1980s and later acquired both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to build another dynasty.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

In August, Scotiabank acquired a 14.9% stake in KeyCorp for $2.8 billion.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Yet they could not dismiss him, for fear of losing what they had acquired.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• captured
• collected
• seized