Achiever

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈt͡ʃiːvɚ/

Definitions

1. A person who successfully fulfills aspirations and reaches noteworthy milestones
2. An individual celebrated for their talent in accomplishing goals and obtaining impactful results
3. A person distinguished by their ability to attain significant objectives and realize aspirations

Etymology: The word "achiever" is a plain formation: the verb "achieve" with the agent suffix "-er," which turns a verb into a noun for the one doing the action, as in "baker" or "writer." The verb "achieve" entered English in Middle English from Old French, where it was built on the verb meaning "to bring to a head" or "to finish." That sense of completing something carries straight through to the modern noun. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb. The "-er" ending descends from Latin "-arius," which denoted an occupation or a person associated with something, and it passed through Old French "-ier" before reaching English as "-er." Its Germanic relatives appear in Old English "-ere," so the ending was already doing this job in English long before "achieve" arrived to give it a new partner.

Synonyms: successor, winner, performer, doer, accomplisher

Antonyms: failure, loser, underachiever, slacker, ne'er-do-well