Antonyms for obtain
əbˈteɪnob·tain

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.5 / 2 votes

1. obtain

   A person may obtain a situation by the intercession of friends, he procures a dinner by paying for it. Attain is a lofty word, pointing to some high or desirable result; a man attains the mountain summit, he attains honor or learning as the result of strenuous and earnest labor. Even that usage of attain which has been thought to refer to mere progress of time carries the thought of a result desired; as, to attain to old age; the man desires to live to a good old age; we should not speak of his attaining his dotage. One may attain an object that will prove not worth his labor, but what he achieves is in itself great and splendid; as, the Greeks at Marathon achieved a glorious victory. Compare DO; GET; REACH.

   Antonyms:
   abandon, fail, forfeit, give up, let go, lose, miss

   Synonyms:
   accomplish, achieve, acquire, arrive at, attain, compass, earn, gain, get, grasp, master, procure, reach, secure, win

Matched Categories

1. • Change
   • Exist
   • Get

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. obtainverb

   come into possession of

   "How did you obtain the visa?"

   Synonyms:
   incur, find, receive, prevail, get, hold

2. receive, get, find, obtain, incurverb

   receive a specified treatment (abstract)

   "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions"

   Synonyms:
   pick up, make, mystify, experience, develop, draw, have, find oneself, become, sustain, receive, retrieve, scram, prevail, amaze, stimulate, sire, drive, engender, hold, go, rule, fix, stick, pay back, regain, happen, suffer, feel, beat, set about, get down, get under one's skin, incur, contract, bring forth, grow, dumbfound, stupefy, start, welcome, arrest, meet, witness, bring, bewilder, see, mother, chance, take, buzz off, catch, let, come up, beget, puzzle, flummox, invite, ascertain, get, generate, capture, find, baffle, produce, get hold, start out, pose, vex, aim, induce, find out, perplex, recover, bump, notice, gravel, begin, fetch, father, determine, commence, discover, encounter, arrive, set out, convey, acquire, come, line up, pay off, detect, bugger off, cause, take in, observe, nonplus

3. prevail, hold, obtainverb

   be valid, applicable, or true

   "This theory still holds"

   Synonyms:
   accommodate, book, retain, get, moderate, view as, support, take hold, hold back, harbour, defend, triumph, bind, run, deem, reign, hold up, endure, dominate, predominate, take, have, concord, rule, check, make, take for, go for, receive, throw, defy, control, harbor, keep, obligate, carry, give, adjudge, entertain, nurse, oblige, curb, hold, die hard, incur, confine, find, have got, arrest, restrain, apply, withstand, persist, agree, hold in, halt, contain, concur, maintain, guard, keep back, sustain, prevail, reserve, admit, declare, bear

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. obtainverb

   Synonyms:
   gain, get, procure, acquire, win, attain, secure

How to use obtain in a sentence?

1. Renato Mazzola:

   The deal was opportunistic and it helped us obtain an important result in a short period of time.

2. The US military:

   Over two years of negotiations has shown the world : What the The US military government failed to obtain at the negotiating table, they still failed to obtain though the use of warplanes and cannons.

3. Ranil Wickremesinghe:

   This is our only option. We must take this path. Our aim is to hold discussions with the IMF and arrive at an agreement to obtain an additional credit facility.

4. Herodotus:

   Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; While others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever before.

5. Maitri Upanishads:

   Let a man strive to purify his thoughts. What a man thinketh, that is he this is the eternal mystery. Dwelling within himself with thoughts serene, he will obtain imperishable happiness.

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