acquired

American  

[uh-kwahy-erd] / əˈkwaɪ ərd /

adjective

1. obtained or procured, such as by purchasing, receiving, learning.

2. Medicine/Medical. (of a disease or condition) developed by the patient at some point after birth.

3. Biology. (of a trait) developed by an organism in response to its environment; not inherited.

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Other Word Forms

• nonacquired adjective
• pre-acquired adjective
• reacquired adjective
• self-acquired adjective
• unacquired adjective

Explanation

The adjective acquired describes something you're not born with: you gain or develop it later in life, like your acquired taste for coffee. Acquired comes from the Latin word acquirere, meaning "to seek in addition to. Something acquired is something you have gotten, not something you always had. For example, you may have acquired the habit of buying lots...and lots of sneakers after getting a job in a shoe store. Or, if you have an acquired habit of reading novels, this is something that developed over time. After all, you weren't born reading!

Example Sentences

In November, it acquired Less Common Metals, a U.K. maker of rare-earth metals required to produce magnets used in the auto and defense industries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The company acquired defense startups and invested in an entirely new business in which it had no prior experience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The Lakers embattled basketball boss smartly acquired renowned shooter Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks in early February for Gabe Vincent and a second-round draft pick and … are you kidding me?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

"Over the years we've acquired land to protect it for the nation," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

French has also acquired the word expérimentation, which is now sometimes used as if it were equivalent to ‘experiment’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• captured
• collected
• seized