I'm writing an essay, and I'd like to write a phrase like "He finally achieved the moment he'd been working towards his whole life."
Is it okay to say that someone "achieved" a moment?
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Sure it's not literal, but if you can work towards a moment, then you could achieve it too.– MitchOct 27, 2016 at 2:47
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Yeah, it’s a little weird to me. One works toward an achievement and there can be a moment in time when that achievement is realized, but it’s the achievement one works toward, not the moment: And in that moment he’d finally realized the achievement he’d been working towards his whole life.– JimOct 27, 2016 at 4:25
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4 Answers
You can reach a moment you work toward.
But I would say you achieve an accomplishment not a point in time.
Achieved is perfectly fine.
As an alternative, how about realized?
He finally realized the moment he'd been working towards his entire life.
From M-W:
realize: to achieve (something, such as a goal, dream, etc.)
answered Oct 27, 2016 at 2:01
It would be better to achieve a dream or a goal.
answered Oct 27, 2016 at 5:07
I don't know what the rest of the essay is about but I think a good sentence would be: He finally reached the moment he had been working towards all his life, the achievement of his goal. (which, if you leave out the rest, says: he finally reached his goal)or: The moment he had been working towards all his life, the achievement of his goal,finally arrived.
