accomplishment
uh-KOM-plish-muhnt
/əˈkʌm.plɪʃ.mənt/
Something that has been achieved successfully through effort, skill, or hard work.
Stresses the successful outcome of sustained effort, skill, or personal dedication.
The story behind the word. From Old French 'accomplir', based on Latin 'complere' (to fill up). An accomplishment is literally something that has been 'filled out' to completion through complete effort.
Word relationships
- achievement: Achievement stresses extraordinary effort or triumph over great obstacles.
- attainment: Attainment often refers to gaining specific status or educational qualifications.
- failure: Failure is the lack of success in achieving a goal.
Commonly confused with
- accomplice: An accomplice is a person who helps another commit a crime.
Word family
- accomplish (verb): To achieve or complete successfully.
- accomplished (adjective): Highly skilled or successful.
Collocations
- major accomplishment
- proudest accomplishment
- crowning accomplishment
- sense of accomplishment
Example sentences
- "Building a world-class engineering firm from scratch was his proudest professional accomplishment." Retirement speech
- "Her crowning accomplishment was establishing educational trusts for disadvantaged students." Biography
Memory hook
Accomplish = Completely filled up to the brim with work done. Filling a goal until it is completely finished.
When not to use
Do not use for random strokes of good luck where personal effort was absent.
Fun facts
- In Victorian society, 'accomplishments' referred specifically to social arts like playing piano or speaking French.
Explore more words
Achieve, endeavor, perseverance, craftsmanship, diligent, prowess
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