abandonvsachieve
Abandon and achieve are opposite ends of an effort. To abandon a goal is to give it up partway — to leave it unreached and walk away (abandon the attempt). To achieve a goal is to reach it at last — to carry the effort through to success (achieve the target). One quits before the end; the other arrives at it.
A hand opens and lets a leash slip; the figure walks off in even steps and never looks back. The small dog stays where it was set down as the warm light around it shrinks inward, untouched. The thing is left short of any finish — given up, not reached.
/əˈbændən//əˈbændən/·verbSomeone starts up the long face of a hill, small against it, taking the slope one even step at a time. Near the top a faint light sits waiting, no bigger than a coin. The last stretch is the slow one — a hand goes up, finds it — and the instant it is touched the light swells, bright and sure, held above the head where the climb ran out. The whole long climb ends in that one glow.
/əˈtʃiːv//əˈtʃiːv/·verbThese two mark opposite outcomes of the same climb. Abandon, from Old French abandoner ('to give up to fate'), stops partway and walks off — the goal left untouched. Achieve, from Old French achever ('to bring to a head'), goes the whole way — the goal reached, the effort finished. Where abandon leaves the summit untouched, achieve sets a hand on it. Abandon is the climb given up; achieve is the climb completed.
What each means
abandon
To abandon is to walk away and not come back — to give up a thing, a place, or a person entirely, leaving it to its fate. You abandon a sinking ship, an old plan, a search. The word carries finality and often a trace of failure or desertion: what is abandoned is left behind, untended, alone. There is a second, almost opposite sense in the noun phrase 'with abandon', meaning with complete freedom from restraint — but the verb is about letting go for good.
achieve
To achieve something is to reach it on purpose and at a cost — to bring a goal all the way to its head after effort, not to stumble into it. The word comes from Old French achever, 'to bring to a head', and that finishing sense still clings to it: you achieve a result, a target, a standard, rarely a small daily act. It implies the climb behind the outcome, which is why we speak of a hard-won achievement and never of achieving breathing.
At a glance
| abandon | achieve | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to give a goal up partway | to reach a goal at last, through effort |
| The finish | left unreached | reached, the effort complete |
| Outcome | the goal untouched | the goal attained |
| Often with | abandon the attempt, a plan, a search | achieve a target, a goal, success, greatness |
| Direction | quit before the end | arrive at the end |
| Example | They abandoned the climb below the summit. | They achieved the summit by noon. |
How to remember the difference
They are opposite ends of one effort — ask whether you quit or arrived. Abandon is the figure walking off as the light shrinks, the goal left untouched (abandon the attempt, abandon the plan). Achieve is the climber who touches the light at the top and watches it swell, the effort carried through (achieve the target, achieve success). If you give it up before the finish, you abandon it; if you reach the finish, you achieve it.
Examples
abandon
- Exhausted, they abandoned the expedition short of the peak.
- He abandoned the degree in his final year.
- The firm abandoned the launch at the last minute.
achieve
- She achieved the highest grade in her year.
- They achieved their sales target a month early.
- He achieved what no one thought possible.
They are opposites for an effort: abandon leaves the goal unreached, while achieve brings it home. Note that you abandon the attempt (the process) but achieve the goal (the result) — the words sit at the start of failure and the end of success.
FAQ
- What is the difference between abandon and achieve?
- They are opposite ends of an effort. Abandon is to give a goal up partway, leaving it unreached (abandon the attempt). Achieve is to reach the goal at last, through effort (achieve the target). One quits; the other arrives.
- Are abandon and achieve opposites?
- Yes — abandon leaves a goal unreached, while achieve brings the effort all the way to success.
- Can abandon and achieve be used interchangeably?
- No — they are opposite outcomes. You abandon an attempt that fails and achieve a goal that succeeds.
- What is the opposite of achieve?
- To abandon, fail, or give up. To achieve is to reach a goal; to abandon is to give it up before reaching it.
- Do you abandon a goal or an attempt?
- Usually you abandon the attempt or the plan (the effort), and you achieve the goal or target (the result it was aiming at).
- What are the noun forms?
- Abandon gives abandonment; achieve gives achievement.