1
as in to ascribe
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force
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Relevance
2
as in to explain
to give the reason for or cause of
a psychotherapist who's a little too quick to attribute every emotional problem or character defect to an unhappy childhood
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as in characteristic
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
list the attributes of a mammal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attribute
Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 July 2025
The latest shift is largely attributed to an attitude change among Republicans, 64% of whom now view immigration as a good thing, up from 39% in 2024.
—Brendan Rascius
july 11, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 7 July 2025
At the same time, as someone famously said, ‘there’s no compression algorithm for experience, and experience and sound judgement are not intrinsically an attribute of generative AI, which at best is 4 years old and still undergoing rapid evolution.
—Marco Argenti, Fortune, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for attribute
Verb
The 34 shoes found at the Magna fort, however, are in worse condition than those retrieved from Vindolanda decades ago — a problem Frame attributes to the changing climate.
—Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 July 2025
The latest shift is largely attributed to an attitude change among Republicans, 64% of whom now view immigration as a good thing, up from 39% in 2024.
—Brendan Rascius
july 11, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Noun
Politeness and kindness are attributes that parents want to reinforce and encourage in their children.
—Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 7 July 2025
At the same time, as someone famously said, ‘there’s no compression algorithm for experience, and experience and sound judgement are not intrinsically an attribute of generative AI, which at best is 4 years old and still undergoing rapid evolution.
—Marco Argenti, Fortune, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for attribute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attribute
Verb
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Based on those intense interactions, the temptation to ascribe God-like powers to the AI is going to be huge.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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Another trait often ascribed to footballers is courage — the kind that enables them to put their head into a frenzy of flying boots, or take a decisive penalty when thousands are willing them to fail.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Police officials will explain how the new police drones can be remotely deployed and piloted toward the scene of an incident from docks placed across the city.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
26 July 2025
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Upright vacuum cleaners typically have bigger motors, which generate more powerful suction, Ho explains.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Sometimes an offense takes on the characteristics of its most distinguishable member - only the Brewers have a lower team average exit speed than the Padres, and only a handful of clubs hit more line drives, as the club mimics the tendencies of Luis Arraez.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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Felix Brill, chief investment officer at VP Bank, agrees that the SGD has many characteristics of a modern safe haven, including macroeconomic stability, strong institutions, a large current account surplus, and low political risk.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
Verb
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That being said, several editors credited the whole tomatoes and kick of black pepper for making the dish seem more fresh.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
15 July 2025
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The aging rock outfit — credited as one of the inventors of heavy metal — played to tens of thousands of fans in Birmingham, England, where the group got its start.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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However, the Commission did not indicate any sudden or unexpected event that would justify the urgency.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Lay of the land Advocates for the Golden Dome point to recent events to justify the program.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
23 July 2025
Noun
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One unnamed feature on the intro sticks out though, complementing Tyler’s characteristic moxie with seasoned, head-of-state bravado.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
21 July 2025
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But psychiatrists struggled to pinpoint a single feature that unified the diagnosis.—
Rachel Aviv,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
Noun
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For almost 10,000 years, people in the Arctic have kept dogs for hunting and sledding, breeding them for desirable traits.—
Rudy Molinek,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 July 2025
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The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people, including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.—
Khloe Quill , Reem Amro,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Multi-touch attribution (MTA), media mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing are now standard tools in the marketing industry.—
Boris Abaev,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The answer lies in the difference between detection and attribution, and in the nature of evidence itself.—
Oliver Swainston,
Space.com,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attribute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attribute. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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