I felt he had at last ..... his ambition?

Question

Which option fits the sentence or is the question ambiguous?

I felt he had at last ..... his ambition.

1. reached
2. accomplished
3. obtained
4. achieved

For me it seems like 1, 2 and 4 fit the sentence. I cannot differentiate the difference.

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From Google Ngrams, it seems like "achieved" is the winner.

Answer 1

I felt he had at last _____ his ambition.

Of the four options, I would say the following:

• Reached

if someone or something reaches a particular point in their development, they get to that point

I'd not choose "reached" for this sentence at all. You "reach" a conclusion or a destination but it lacks the sense of accomplishment that needs to be included in saying that you've completed a goal. It's too bland.

• Accomplished

to succeed in doing something, especially after trying very hard

This works for the reasons that "reached" does not. It shows that you've accomplished something... because that's the word. This is fine.

• Obtained

Obtain can often be simply replaced with "get", or in this case, "gotten".

to get something that you want, especially through your own effort, skill, or work [= get]

• Further information can be obtained [gotten] from head office.
• You will need to obtain [get] permission from the principal.
• the results obtained [gotten] through these surveys

You wouldn't "get" an ambition, so this option is out.

• Achieved

to successfully complete something or get a good result, especially by working hard

As you can see, this definition is very similar to "accomplish". Which is correct, as the two words (in this usage) can be treated as synonyms. Personally, I would prefer "achieved" in this sentence.

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To summarize, "achieved" is the top choice for me, followed by "accomplished". The other two aren't options that I would use at all.

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Other options...

There are tons of other options of varying popularity. I think that "accomplished" and "achieved" are probably better options in the end, though.

"succeeded in"

I felt he had at last succeeded in his ambition to play the violin at Kennedy Center.

"fulfilled"

I felt he had at last fulfilled his ambition to eat an entire pizza.

"attained"

I felt he had at last attained his ambition to lose 50 pounds.

Answer 2

Usually we say "realized" with "ambition." An ambition is a hope or wish. When it comes true, we can say it has been fulfilled, or was made real (more often described as "realized.") The ambition itself is not the thing that you get or "obtain" to make your wish come true, it is not the last event/finish line that you "reach" to make your wish come true, and it is not itself the good thing you "accomplished" or "achieved" which made your wish come true.

For example:

He realized his ambition to become a doctor. (wish/hope)

He reached his goal of graduating from medical school. (completed event/finish line)

He obtained his medical degree. (the thing he now holds)

He achieved a passing score on his final exam. (often used for grades/scores)