attribute
9 synonyms for attribute, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A quality or characteristic that belongs to a person or thing.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
ascribe
impute
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A quality or characteristic that belongs to a person or thing.
“Patience is a valuable attribute for a teacher to have.”
How to use attribute
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
key attribute
attribute to
positive attribute
Etymology
From Latin attributus, past participle of attribuere, "to assign, bestow," from ad- ("to") plus tribuere ("to grant, bestow").
Full origin of attribute →Frequently asked questions
What does “attribute” mean?
The word “attribute” means a quality or characteristic that belongs to a person or thing. In plain terms, as a noun, a quality something has; as a verb, to credit or assign something to a cause or source.
How do you pronounce “attribute”?
“Attribute” is pronounced AT-rih-byoot (/ˈæt.ɹɪˌbjut/ in IPA).
How do you use “attribute” in a sentence?
Here is “attribute” used in a sentence: “Patience is a valuable attribute for a teacher to have.”
What is another word for “attribute”?
Words with a similar meaning to “attribute” include refer.
What part of speech is “attribute”?
Depending on how it is used, “attribute” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “attribute” come from?
The word “attribute” comes from Latin. From Latin attributus, past participle of attribuere, "to assign, bestow," from ad- ("to") plus tribuere ("to grant, bestow").
Is “attribute” a common word?
“Attribute” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “attribute” have?
“Attribute” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a quality or characteristic that belongs to a person or thing.
What is the difference between attribute and characteristic?
Attribute and characteristic are close synonyms, both describing a quality that belongs to a person or thing, though attribute is also commonly used in computing to mean a property or setting associated with a data object. Characteristic is used mainly in the general, everyday sense rather than the technical computing sense.
What is the difference between attribute as a noun and attribute as a verb?
As a noun, an attribute is a quality or characteristic belonging to a person or thing, or a property of a data object in computing. As a verb, to attribute something means to say it is caused by or belongs to a particular source, as in attributing a quote to its author.
How is attribute used in computing?
In computing, an attribute refers to a property or setting associated with a data object, such as a formatting attribute in a document or a field in a database record, distinct from its general sense of a personal quality.
