attribute

1 of 2

noun

at·​tri·​bute ˈa-trə-ˌbyüt How to pronounce attribute (audio)
1
: a quality, character, or characteristic ascribed to someone or something
has leadership attributes
2
: an object closely associated with or belonging to a specific person, thing, or office
a scepter is the attribute of power
especially : such an object used for identification in painting or sculpture
3
grammar : a word ascribing a quality
especially : adjective

attribute

2 of 2

verb

at·​trib·​ute ə-ˈtri-ˌbyüt How to pronounce attribute (audio)
-byət
attributed; attributing

transitive verb

1
: to explain (something) by indicating a cause
He attributed his success to hard work.
2
a
: to regard as a characteristic of a person or thing
should not attribute adult reasoning to children
b
: to reckon as made or originated in an indicated fashion
attributed the invention to a Russian
attributable adjective

Did you know?

Attribute means something rather similar to "pay tribute". So, for example, an award winner who pays tribute to an inspiring professor is, in a sense, attributing her success to the professor. Though if you attribute your fear of dogs to an incident in your childhood, you're not exactly praising the nasty dog that bit you way back when. The second sense of attribute is slightly different: If you attribute bad motives to a politician, it means you think he or she is doing things for the wrong reasons (even if you don't have any proof). When attribute is accented on its first syllable, it's being used as a noun, usually as a synonym for quality. So, for instance, you may believe that an even temper is an attribute of the best presidents, or that cheerfulness is your spouse's best attribute.

Choose the Right Synonym for attribute

Noun

quality, property, character, attribute mean an intelligible feature by which a thing may be identified.

quality is a general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic.

material with a silky quality

property implies a characteristic that belongs to a thing's essential nature and may be used to describe a type or species.

the property of not conducting heat

character applies to a peculiar and distinctive quality of a thing or a class.

remarks of an unseemly character

attribute implies a quality ascribed to a thing or a being.

the attributes of a military hero

Verb

ascribe, attribute, assign, impute, credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing.

ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

credited his teammates for his success

Examples of attribute in a Sentence

Noun The interviewer asked me what I consider to be my best attribute. Both candidates possess the attributes we want in a leader. Verb attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force a psychotherapist who's a little too quick to attribute every emotional problem or character defect to an unhappy childhood
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The columns indicate different attributes of that task, such as the deadline or who is assigned to do it. PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024 Take your attributes and stretch them to the limit. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 Chief among these attributes is a songbook that’s deep and sturdy, weathered enough to showcase how the trio is a tight and efficient unit, keeping hooks at the forefront without succumbing to the formalism of power pop. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 Conversely, men play a significant role in beauty standards – Praising particular physical attributes more than others, like hair texture, skin tone, and even body type. Celeste Polanco, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 Fortunately, Washington’s weather shared many of the attributes of spring, including the day’s thunderstorm, which was reported by the Weather Service and is generally associated with warmer weather. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 China is the index’s fastest mover, having improved its score by 6.2 points over 2023 and shows a significant edge in business and trade attributes which feed into the final assessment of soft power. Courtney Fingar, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The press release might focus entirely on the healthy attributes of Beyond IV and the promise of the new product, but the news story has been circulated more widely in a different light. Marnie Shure / The Takeout, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024 Folly Beach is technically a city on Folly Island, although its personality and attributes are more akin to your classic Southern beach town. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2024
Verb
Most observers attributed Moreno's dominant win to his endorsement from Trump. Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024 That’s attributed in large part to early detection with mammograms. Kylie Gilbert, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2024 News agencies attributed the casualty figures to the F.S.B. security agency. Anton Troianovski Valerie Hopkins Anton Troianovski Julian E. Barnes Julian E. Barnes Paul Sonne Valerie Hopkins Anton Troianovski Ivan Nechepurenko Alina Lobzina Constant Méheut Yonette Joseph Yonette Joseph Anton Troianovski Alina Lobzina Neil MacFarquhar Ivan Nechepurenko Ivan Nechepurenko Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 According to a 2019 report from the Harvard Business School, 90% of what sets high performers apart is attributed to emotional intelligence, which correlates strongly with likability. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024 Weeks later, Jones was arrested in connection with a nonfatal shooting in Berkeley, which police attributed to gang violence. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 But Take Note This bra was a little difficult to remove and this could be attributed to the longline design. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 Some of those declines could be attributed to the particularly strong labor market which meant there were many workers, working long hours, but without necessarily delivering an equal increase in output. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 The publication attributes the information to two unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'attribute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Latin attributus, past participle of attribuere to attribute, from ad- + tribuere to bestow — more at tribute

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of attribute was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Attribute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attribute. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

attribute

1 of 2 noun
at·​tri·​bute ˈa-trə-ˌbyüt How to pronounce attribute (audio)
1
: a quality belonging to a particular person or thing
2
: a word that indicates a quality
especially : adjective

attribute

2 of 2 verb
at·​trib·​ute ə-ˈtrib-yət How to pronounce attribute (audio)
-ˌyüt
attributed; attributing
1
: to explain as the cause of
attribute our success to hard work
2
: to think of as likely to be a quality of a person or thing
attribute stubbornness to mules
attributable adjective
attribution
ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on attribute

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!