attained
Americanadjective
-
reached or achieved, often after considerable time and effort.
Any country with a reactor and a fairly easily attained level of expertise can build an atomic bomb.
-
having reached a specified level of accomplishment; skilled or expert.
He was an eminent professor of religion and a highly attained mystic.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of attained
First recorded in 1590–1600; attain ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; attain ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
If we are lucky enough to survive into our 20s, and have attained some degree of adult consciousness, we all will have lived a coming-of-age story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He served as a military lawyer and attained the rank of Air Force colonel, an experience that informed his interventionist stance in foreign affairs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Upon arriving in India on 30 May, Min Aung Hlaing visited Bodh Gaya and offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple, built at the site where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
That mark is based on the valuation SpaceX attained late last year, and is likely to go significantly higher in an IPO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Yes, we had a few writers, singers, educators, actors, actresses and so on, but few had attained the international stature of their American counterparts.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
