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.
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. Verbattributed 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
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Noun
That decade started with the 1973 oil embargo by Arab countries who were members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and ended with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which many attribute to helping end Jimmy Carter's presidency.—👁 Image Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026 At the time of her nomination, Bondi seemed to have the attributes of an attorney general.—👁 Image Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Then there's a 61-cent state excise tax and roughly 2 cents attributed to underground storage fees.—👁 Image Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 The trading card industry is currently enjoying a boom period that Mahan and others attribute to the sudden search for new hobbies amid the Covid-19 lockdowns.—👁 Image Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for attribute
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
