OBTAINED Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

obtained

verb

past tense of obtain

as in earned

to receive as return for effort after years of proving herself, she obtained recognition as a serious journalist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obtained The warrant was obtained a day before he was arrested and for days afterwards police were pictured searching Mountbatten-Windsor’s propeties in Sandringham and on the Windsor estate. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026 Hill’s memo, obtained by the Observer and other news outlets, raised concerns about ties between board members and CMS contractors and political involvement of CMS representatives. — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026 At the beginning of the bodycam footage obtained by Page Six, Milania requested to speak to her mother. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Investigators obtained phone metadata through a pen register, a surveillance tool that records information such as numbers contacted and the timing of calls, rather than the contents of conversations. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 In video obtained by KTLA-TV, an SUV can be seen traveling along the highway before smashing into another car. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the singer could be seen smiling in the back seat of an SUV while her soccer player boyfriend of two years grinned from the front seat. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026 Kenita Lloyd, will depart just short of five years of service at the end of 2026, according to an internal memo obtained by The News and two sources. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Biopsies of asymptomatic endometriosis were obtained during laparoscopic surgeries for conditions unrelated to pelvic pain, which also led to the discovery of the disease. — Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtained

Verb

Romero earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from California State University, Long Beach, in addition to her doctorate from UC Riverside.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Me, both of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and earned ARIA nominations for best hard rock/heavy metal album.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of earned

Verb

Pulse oximeters gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering anyone a handheld tool to take stock of their blood oxygen level.

— Anil Oza, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Gordon gained two yards on a first down run, and Willis then threw errantly on a pressured throw to Jalen Tolbert that would have gone nowhere even if it had been completed.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of gained

Verb

And in 2008, the owner of a formalwear company won a roughly $850,000 judgment against Peter over unpaid loans to finance his business.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
The original series won the Golden Globe for best drama in 2019 and routinely lands near the top of lists hailing the best TV series of the past quarter century.

— Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of won

Verb

However, his firm has reaped strong gains from its Phoenix investment, cashing out a quarter of its stake in July for more than $340 million – a return of more than five times its initial stock purchase.

— Allegra Goodwin, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
All three are allegedly part of Ghost Town, a notorious gang from West Oakland that made headlines last year for a brazen high-end robbery spree that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars and left victims traumatized, according to court records.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of reaped

Verb

But even with an issue that’s garnered significant bipartisan support, Congress has still struggled to tackle it in recent years.

— Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
In the first six months alone, Goldman has advised on more than $1 trillion in mergers and garnered over $12 billion in equities revenue.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of garnered

Verb

Growing up amid high divorce rates has also made younger couples more conscious of protecting their financial independence.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
The Belgium–Netherlands–Italy co-production, directed by Brecht Debackere, made its world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of made

Verb

If another worker with a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas PPO plan got the same drug at the same Houston Methodist hospital, an employer could be paying almost six times as much, or nearly $4,400 for a vial.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
A little less than 18 months ago, Ukraine carried out a sneak drone attack in which forces smuggled them into Russian territory and waited until the truck that was unknowingly carrying them got close to Russian bases.

— Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of got

Verb

That show, launched in 2020, attained a cult following — it was named Best Podcasts of the Year by outlets like Vogue, Esquire and Cosmopolitan.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Rabies in humans is completely preventable but medical help must be attained right away, according to the CDC.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of attained

Browse Nearby Words

obtainable

obtained

obtaining

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Obtained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtained. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of obtained

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes