Meaning & use
accomplished
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Having a high level of skill in an activity because of practice, training, or repeated success.
Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after be/seem; comparisons use more/most accomplished rather than -er/-est.
Patterns
- an accomplished musician
- an accomplished writer
- more accomplished than someone
She is an accomplished pianist who still practices daily.
By thirty, he had become an accomplished engineer.
Her report was more accomplished than earlier drafts.
Word forms
| comparative | more accomplished |
|---|---|
| superlative | most accomplished |
Common combinations
- an accomplished dancer
- The accomplished dancer made the difficult steps look easy.
- highly accomplished
- She is a highly accomplished scientist and teacher.
- accomplished in something
- He is accomplished in several programming languages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- skilled
- Skilled is general; accomplished suggests recognized skill developed over time.
- accomplished vs expert
- Expert can describe knowledge or official level, while accomplished stresses polished performance or achievement.
- proficient
- Proficient means competent and able, usually weaker than accomplished.
- seasoned
- Seasoned implies long experience, especially in difficult work; accomplished emphasizes proven excellence.
Opposites
Word family
- accomplish verb
- To succeed in completing something.
- accomplishment noun
- Something achieved, or skill shown by achievements.
Commonly confused: accomplished or accompanying?
accomplished vs accompanying
Accompanying means going with something; accomplished means skilled or successfully completed.
Practice
Which sentence uses accomplished correctly?
Choose one answer.
The adjective pattern is accomplished in an activity or field. Of, to, and from do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “accomplished”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.