Meaning & use
attribute
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Meanings
nouncountable
A quality or characteristic that belongs to or is typical of a person or thing.
Grammar: Countable; stress is on the first syllable: AT-tribute.
Patterns
- key attribute
- attribute of a good leader
- positive attribute
Patience is an important attribute in a teacher.
The two laptops have similar technical attributes.
Kindness is an attribute we value in friends.
verbtransitive
To regard something as being caused by, produced by, or belonging to a particular source or person.
Grammar: Stress moves to the second syllable for the verb: at-TRIB-ute; common pattern is attribute X to Y.
Patterns
- attribute something to someone
- attribute success to hard work
- be attributed to
She attributes her progress to daily practice.
The delay was attributed to heavy snow.
Critics attribute the novel's power to its precise language.
Word forms
| third person singular | attributes |
|---|---|
| past tense | attributed |
| past participle | attributed |
| -ing form | attributing |
Common combinations
- attribute success to hard work
- He attributes success to hard work more than talent.
- positive attribute
- A calm voice is a positive attribute in a pilot.
- be attributed to
- The empty shelves were attributed to a supply delay.
- key attribute
- Accuracy is a key attribute for an editor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quality
- Quality is the broadest word for a feature; attribute is more formal and often lists features.
- trait
- Trait usually describes an enduring personal characteristic, while attribute can describe things or systems too.
- credit
- Credit as a verb means assign responsibility or praise; attribute can assign causes, blame, or origin more neutrally.
Word family
- attribution noun
- The act of saying who or what caused something.
- attributable adjective
- Able to be explained by a particular cause or source.
Commonly confused: attribute or contribute?
attribute vs contribute
Contribute means to give or add to something; attribute means to assign a cause, source, or authorship.
Practice
Which sentence uses attribute correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
The pattern is attribute something to its cause: the delay is explained by traffic. Reversing cause and effect, or using contribute/on, breaks the pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “attribute”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.