attainment
Americannoun
-
attainments
plural
-
an act of attaining.
-
something attained; a personal acquirement; achievement.
- Synonyms:
- accomplishment
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of attainment
First recorded in 1350–1400, attainment is from the Middle English word attenement. See attain, -ment
Explanation
The effort put into something and the pay-off when the work is over is called attainment. Attainment of your goal of learning to make the perfect omelet requires breaking a lot of eggs. An attainment isn't just handed to you — you have to earn it through skill and hard work. In fact, in slang, attainment is used interchangeably with skill. You might say that the inventiveness and originality of a particular rapper is his attainment, just as his fame, fortune, and respect in the hip-hop community is also his attainment.
Vocabulary lists containing attainment
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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.
See Examples For:
The department said that while there is a correlation between marital status and accident rates, it said that correlation could be driven by secondary factors, such as income, educational attainment and employment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Marrying early has universally detrimental effects over a range of outcomes, including educational attainment; earnings; physical, reproductive, and mental health; experiences of violence; and likelihood of divorce, particularly for girls,” the study found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"The rise in overall attainment at all three National Qualification levels and the increasing attainment in vocational and technical qualifications will rightly be welcomed in classrooms and staff rooms across Scotland," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
By examining trends in educational attainment, labor force shifts and the effects of social media and AI, it can offer a grand-scale picture of societal health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Rather than channel his abilities into the attainment of awards and prizes, however, Gellert Grindelwald devoted himself to other pursuits.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Such moments remind us that The Beatles’ attainments were the result of spirited collaboration involving a like-minded group of dedicated artists, producers, and engineers.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025
With 900 million of the world's professionals registering their personal CV and career attainments on the site, LinkedIn has become a valuable resource for head-hunters and human resources departments.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2023
His attainments in judicial appointments, and aspirations for physical and social infrastructure, as well as climate change, form a serious agenda.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 24, 2022
For all his attainments, though, Roth remained forever a younger sibling; the family darling with an underwear drawer so beautifully arrayed his mother led her mah-jongg group on a tour of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2021
As a result, their attainments in astronomical theory seem to have paled in comparison to their achievements in engineering, medicine, and statecraft.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
