attribute

American  

[uh-trib-yoot, a-truh-byoot] / əˈtrɪb jut, ˈæ trəˌbjut /

verb (used with object)

• attributes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• attributed,
  past participle,  past
• attributing
  present participle

1. to regard as resulting from a specified cause; consider as caused by something indicated (usually followed byto ).

   She attributed his bad temper to ill health.

2. to consider as a quality or characteristic of the person, thing, group, etc., indicated.

   He attributed intelligence to his colleagues.

3. to consider as made by the one indicated, especially with strong evidence but in the absence of conclusive proof.

   to attribute a painting to an artist.

4. to regard as produced by or originating in the time, period, place, etc., indicated; credit; assign.

   to attribute a work to a particular period; to attribute a discovery to a particular country.

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noun

• attributes
  plural

1. something attributed as belonging to a person, thing, group, etc.; a quality, character, characteristic, or property.

   Sensitivity is one of his attributes.

2. something used as a symbol of a particular person, office, or status.

   A scepter is one of the attributes of a king.

3. Grammar. a word or phrase that is syntactically subordinate to another and serves to limit, identify, particularize, describe, or supplement the meaning of the form with which it is in construction. In the red house, red is an attribute of house.

4. Fine Arts. an object associated with or symbolic of a character, office, or quality, as the keys of St. Peter or the lion skin of Hercules.

5. Philosophy. (in the philosophy of Spinoza) any of the essential qualifications of God, thought and extension being the only ones known.

6. Logic. (in a proposition) that which is affirmed or denied concerning the subject.

7. Obsolete. distinguished character; reputation.

attribute British  

/ ˌætrɪˈbjuːʃən /

verb

1. to regard as belonging (to), produced (by), or resulting (from); ascribe (to)

   to attribute a painting to Picasso

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noun

1. a property, quality, or feature belonging to or representative of a person or thing

2. an object accepted as belonging to a particular office or position

3. grammar

   1. an adjective or adjectival phrase

   2. an attributive adjective

4. logic the property, quality, or feature that is affirmed or denied concerning the subject of a proposition

Synonym Usage

Attribute, ascribe, impute imply definite origin. Attribute and ascribe are often used interchangeably, to imply that something originates with a definite person or from a definite cause. Ascribe, however, has neutral implications; whereas, possibly because of an association with tribute, attribute is coming to have a complimentary connotation: to ascribe an accident to carelessness; to attribute one's success to a friend's encouragement. Impute has gained uncomplimentary connotations, and usually means to accuse or blame someone or something as a cause or origin: to impute an error to him. See quality.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• attributer
  noun
• attribution
  noun
• attributor
  noun
• misattribute
  verb
• reattribute
  verb (used with object)
• attributable
  adjective
• unattributed
  adjective
• well-attributed
  adjective
• unattributably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• attributes
  plural

Participles

• attributing
  present
• attributed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• attribute
  simple
• attributes
  simple
• have attributed
  perfect
• has attributed
  perfect
• am attributing
  progressive
• are attributing
  progressive
• is attributing
  progressive
• have been attributing
  perfect progressive
• has been attributing
  perfect progressive

Past

• attributed
  simple
• had attributed
  perfect
• was attributing
  progressive
• were attributing
  progressive
• had been attributing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will attribute
  simple
• will have attributed
  perfect
• will be attributing
  progressive
• will have been attributing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of attribute

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin attribūtus “allotted, assigned, imputed to” (past participle of attribuere ), equivalent to at- “toward” + tribū- (stem of tribuere “to assign (to tribes), classify, ascribe”; see at-, tribe) + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

An attribute is a quality or characteristic given to a person, group, or some other thing. Your best attribute might be your willingness to help others, like when you stopped traffic so the duck family could cross the street. Attribute comes from the Latin verb attribuere, which is made up the prefix ad, meaning "to," and tribuere meaning "give or bestow." As a verb, to attribute is to give credit, like if you attribute the A on your test to all that hard studying. In Greek and Roman mythology an attribute will often stand in for a character such as Zeus's lightning bolt or Poseidon's trident.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attribute attributes attributed attributing

Klein also points out that despite the uptick in bond yields that many commentators attribute to unsustainable fiscal deficits has caused “so far zero evidence of any looming slowdown in U.S. economic data.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Iceland is now one of Europe's most affluent nations and Eirikur Bergmann, professor of politics at Bifröst University, told the BBC that "many people attribute this to Iceland's independence".

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

“Often, as we get older, we attribute balance problems to ‘oh, that’s just aging’ — and certainly there are age-related changes — but that doesn’t mean we can’t intervene,” Riska says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Sales at nonstore retailers fell by 2.2%, which many analysts attribute to Amazon holding its Prime Day sales event in June instead of July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The tendency to attribute meaning to phenomena governed only by chance is ubiquitous.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Anderson was the summer's number one target, while 18-year-old Bouaddi is seen as having all the attributes to develop into a world class talent.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ernst & Young’s U.S. division says it will invest $100 million in employee rewards to recognize more human skills and how those attributes will help in AI adoption.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Portraying a calm presence in the teeth of such enormous publicity is one of his key attributes.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

The trade group attributes the rise to organized criminal networks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

As proof, she announced the creation of a Zea diploperennis-gamagrass hybrid in the laboratory that displayed the attributes of ancient maize.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Larson’s office later attributed the seizure to a congenital heart issue, adding that he’d been prescribed medication to help.

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026

Torosis attributed the change of heart to a younger, majority-millennial City Council that grew up in the cultural glow of festivals like Coachella.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Researchers later attributed the signal to the collapse of part of a glacier that triggered the flood.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

But fame and fortune did not affect her remarkable originality, which she once attributed to the "serenity of the soul" that comes from spending time alone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The last-known animal wound infestation that could be attributed to screw-worms occurred in February 1959.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

In January, he took out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal attributing his past behaviour to his bipolar disorder.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Some experts warn that attributing too much to AI could give tech companies a loophole to avoid responsibility and liability.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

In San Francisco, pending sales of luxury homes rose nearly 46% year over year, Redfin said, attributing the increase to the boom in artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Mapping out the obscure corners of the ecosystem and attributing specific wallets to Iran’s government or anyone else can be difficult and has created a market for firms like TRM.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

At first I paid little attention to the pain, attributing it to fatigue.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• aspect
• characteristic
• facet
• idiosyncrasy
• peculiarity
• quality
• quirk
• trait
• virtue