feats

Word family

• feat
  nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe positive results of effort, but they differ in tone and scope. Achievement is the most general term — any significant result reached through work or skill. Accomplishment is similar but suggests a task that was started and finished, often with planning. Exploit adds a note of daring or heroism, especially in adventurous or military contexts — it overlaps closely with feat when courage is central. Masterstroke refers to a single clever move that turns a situation decisively; it is narrower than feat, which can be built on prolonged effort rather than one brilliant idea. For example, crossing the desert on foot is a feat or an exploit, but not a masterstroke; persuading both sides to sign a peace deal in one afternoon could be called a masterstroke. Feat sits between exploit and achievement, covering any action that impresses because of the difficulty involved rather than the method.

Common collocations

Etymology

Feat comes from the Old French word fait, meaning 'action' or 'deed,' which itself goes back to the Latin factum, 'something done.' The original sense was simply 'an act' — the modern meaning of a difficult or impressive achievement developed later, as speakers began to reserve the word for actions that stood out as remarkable.