These two verbs have very similar meanings but must be used quite differently. They both mean “to get (acquire) something”—but while to attain means “to acquire to some status or condition,” or “to achieve,” or “to reach,” to obtain means “to acquire some object or substance”:
Attain (achieve a status or condition):
If you practice enough you can attain a high level of skill.
Through meditation, you can attain enlightenment.
You cannot attain sainthood without making sacrifices.
Obtain (object or substance):
I would like to obtain a book on gardening.
With enough money, you can obtain anything but love.
Obtain can also be used for abstractions, since we can talk about abstractions as objects in English:
Do not fear if you cannot obtain love easily; keep trying.
Where did you obtain these crazy ideas?
But you cannot use attain for material goods, except wealth, because that is also an achievable status:
Incorrect: I will attain a new car for my birthday.
Okay: There are many YouTube videos on how to attain great wealth.
Another odd usage for attain is in reference to reaching a destination, usually a high point:
The expedition attained to the mountain-top at sunset.
But this works only because it is the achievement of a status. Obtain cannot be used to mean attain except in the cases where status = stuff:
She obtained / attained a promotion quickly.
We obtained / attained more riches than our parents.
Finally, there is a very different meaning for intransitive obtain (without an object), where it means “prevails” or “continues to apply”:
All of the rules from the last game will obtain in future games.
The older generation’s ideas about gender no longer obtain.
How to Use "Attain" in a Sentence
- Charles attained a doctorate in economics.
- To attain a high level of success in any field, one must be willing to put in the time and effort.
- I never attained a degree, but I am quite content with my job.
- Mark attains peace and serenity from his meditation practice.
- Even though she didn't study, Mary still attained a better score on the test than John.
- I am trying to attain a better understanding of the math problem.
- The city attained a great amount of wealth from the mining industry.
- To attain a healthy lifestyle, make sure you are physically active.
How to Use "Obtain" in a Sentence
- I obtained a book from the library and read it during my lunch break.
- I obtained some excellent homework tips from a co-worker today.
- Obtaining my license to practice medicine required a great deal of hard work.
- The company was able to obtain the new equipment thanks to a grant from the government.
- It is our hope that we will be able to obtain some funding in order to help with our research project.
- We were finally able to obtain a copy of the report from the insurance company.
- Sometimes you have to be willing to take risks in order to obtain what you want.
- He obtained the information from a source in the Department of Justice.