attained

American

[uh-teynd] / əˈteɪnd /

adjective

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

the simple past tense and past participle of attain.

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.

Our founders scarcely could have foreseen the world we inhabit today: the industries we have built, the technologies we have invented, the prosperity we have created and the power we have attained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 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

Regardless of what goes into the McRib or how it’s priced, the sandwich has attained a status that arguably makes it the most celebrated limited-time item in fast-food history.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

He had attained the rank of Hujjat al-Islam, but was presented as ayatollah -- a higher rank held by his father and by revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini -- upon his appointment as supreme leader.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

That one would be the eighty-second Lord of Stormhold and Master of the High Crags; it was, after all, how he had attained his own title several hundred years before.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023