acquired
Americanadjective
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obtained or procured, such as by purchasing, receiving, learning.
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Medicine/Medical. (of a disease or condition) developed by the patient at some point after birth.
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Biology. (of a trait) developed by an organism in response to its environment; not inherited.
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!
Vocabulary lists containing acquired
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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Evolutionary Biology - Adaptation
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STAAR Biology: Biological Evolution and Classification
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
QXO went public through a reverse merger in June 2024 and acquired Beacon Roofing Supply for $11 billion in 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
RevMed was briefly in talks with several pharmaceutical companies to be acquired for as much as $30 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported in January, but no deal materialized.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
The Lakers embattled basketball boss smartly acquired renowned shooter Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks in early February for Gabe Vincent and a second-round draft pick and … are you kidding me?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
"Over the years we've acquired land to protect it for the nation," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Harry had acquired sixteen cats, but he didn’t take care of them; the most frequent comment that reporters and tourists had upon leaving the lodge was that it stank of cat urine.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
