achievevsgive up
Achieve and give up are opposites of effort. To achieve something is to reach it through effort — to carry the work through to success (achieve a goal, achieve a dream). To give up is to stop trying — to surrender the effort before the end (give up trying, give up hope). One pushes through to the finish; the other lets the effort die.
Someone climbs the long face of a hill one even step at a time. Near the top a faint light waits, 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. The effort was carried all the way to the glow.
/əˈtʃiːv//əˈtʃiːv/·verbSomeone sets a shoulder against a heavy block and drives, trying to shove it the last stretch toward a light just past it. It will not move. They strain, reset, strain again — then stop, turn, and slide down the block to sit at its foot, head sinking. The light beyond thins and goes out, because nothing is reaching for it any more.
/ˌɡɪv ˈʌp//ˌɡɪv ˈʌp/·phrasal verbThese two are the two ends of trying. Achieve, from Old French achever ('to bring to a head'), carries the effort all the way — the goal reached. Give up is the plain phrasal verb for the opposite: the pushing stops, the goal left unreached. Where achieve keeps climbing to the light, give up sets the effort down and lets it go out. Achieve is the effort completed; give up is the effort surrendered.
What each means
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.
give up
To give up is to stop trying — the everyday, colloquial way to say the effort has ended. It aims at striving rather than things: you give up hope, give up smoking, give up on a dream, give up a seat. Where pursue presses on and achieve carries the effort through to its end, give up is the moment the pushing stops. It can mean a healthy letting-go of a habit, or simple defeat; either way, something that was being reached for is released.
At a glance
| achieve | give up | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to reach a goal through effort | to stop trying before the end |
| The effort | carried through to the finish | surrendered partway |
| The light | reached and swelling | left to go out |
| Often with | achieve a goal, a target, success | give up trying, hope, on a dream |
| Outcome | success | the goal left unreached |
| Example | She achieved her dream of flying. | He gave up on his dream too soon. |
How to remember the difference
They are opposite ends of trying — ask whether the effort was carried through or let go. Achieve is the climber who touches the light at the top and watches it swell: the work carried all the way to success (achieve a goal, achieve a target). Give up is the figure who stops shoving the block and sits down as the light goes out: the effort surrendered before the end (give up trying, give up hope). If you push through to the finish, you achieve; if you stop trying, you give up.
Examples
achieve
- Keep going and you will achieve it.
- She achieved more in a year than most do in five.
- They achieved the result through sheer persistence.
give up
- He gave up just before the breakthrough.
- Don't give up on yourself now.
- They gave up the attempt after the second failure.
They are opposites of motivation: achieve is reaching the goal, give up is quitting before you do. The two often appear together as the choice in front of someone — push on and achieve, or give up and walk away.
FAQ
- What is the difference between achieve and give up?
- They are opposites. Achieve is to reach a goal through effort, carrying it through to success (achieve a goal). Give up is to stop trying before the end (give up trying). One pushes through; the other lets the effort die.
- Are achieve and give up opposites?
- Yes — achieve carries an effort to success, while give up surrenders it before the end.
- Can achieve and give up be used interchangeably?
- No — they are opposite. To achieve a goal is to reach it; to give up is to stop trying for it.
- What is the opposite of give up?
- To achieve, to persevere, or to keep going. Give up stops the effort; achieve carries it through to success.
- Why are achieve and give up often paired?
- Because they are the two choices facing someone mid-effort: push on and achieve the goal, or give up and leave it unreached.
- What are the noun forms?
- Achieve gives achievement; give up has no noun of its own, the nearest being 'surrender'.