1
as in ascribes
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force
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2
as in explains
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 characteristics
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
list the attributes of a mammal
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Recent Examples of attributes
Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Taylor attributes the consistency to owner Jeff Stehney, who’s been winning awards for his ‘cue since before Joe’s was conceived.
—Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Interest is higher in European countries, which Drury attributes to higher gas prices there and a broader selection of affordable EVs, many of which are Chinese.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Snyder attributes the uptick due to climate change and a rise in recognition and testing by doctors.
—Lauren Linder, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Quincy Hamilton, who was appointed interim police chief May 12, told the Star-Telegram that the police department is struggling to retain staff for often longer than a year — a problem Hamilton attributes to the department’s pay rate compared to other cities of similar size.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2026
Magness and Lee Watson have sought to intervene in the litigation, saying the settlement attributes a violation of the Freedom of Information Act to them but the board gave them no say in the agreement.
—Arkansas Online, 18 May 2026
The organization attributes this largely to the inability of recipients to reach the DTA as well as changing eligibility requirements.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
The Army vet also attributes his long life to working out at the YMCA.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
Benjamin qualified for the national bee by winning the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in March, correctly spelling kenosis, the relinquishment of divine attributes by Jesus Christ in becoming human, in the 23rd round.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
This one is hard to measure as well, but Busch absolutely had the right combination of attributes to help push the sport forward.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 27 May 2026
And so use your human attributes as a competitive advantage to sift through the results while everyone else takes the AI output and implements it blindly.
—Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Beyond physical attributes Natural selection doesn’t only operate on anatomical or physical traits.
—Owen D. Jones, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
To come up with its list, World Atlas evaluated towns across the country for attributes such as friendly locals, high community spirit, local institutions (such as staple neighborhood restaurants), and special events, singling out a dozen for their welcoming vibes.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2026
This means that the zodiac sign (namely its attributes, element and modality) Venus transits through can determine the personality of the transit.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Both books feature protagonists who are out of their elements but also possess unique attributes that first get them into trouble before becoming their one slim hope to escape.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Verb
The report attributes this shift in part to AI tools that allow smaller teams to take on work that would have previously required significantly more staff and overhead.
—Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Taylor attributes the consistency to owner Jeff Stehney, who’s been winning awards for his ‘cue since before Joe’s was conceived.
—Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Interest is higher in European countries, which Drury attributes to higher gas prices there and a broader selection of affordable EVs, many of which are Chinese.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Snyder attributes the uptick due to climate change and a rise in recognition and testing by doctors.
—Lauren Linder, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Quincy Hamilton, who was appointed interim police chief May 12, told the Star-Telegram that the police department is struggling to retain staff for often longer than a year — a problem Hamilton attributes to the department’s pay rate compared to other cities of similar size.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2026
Magness and Lee Watson have sought to intervene in the litigation, saying the settlement attributes a violation of the Freedom of Information Act to them but the board gave them no say in the agreement.
—Arkansas Online, 18 May 2026
The organization attributes this largely to the inability of recipients to reach the DTA as well as changing eligibility requirements.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
The Army vet also attributes his long life to working out at the YMCA.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
Noun
For Gallon, Wilson’s accessibility has been one of her more powerful attributes.
—Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
Benjamin qualified for the national bee by winning the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in March, correctly spelling kenosis, the relinquishment of divine attributes by Jesus Christ in becoming human, in the 23rd round.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
This one is hard to measure as well, but Busch absolutely had the right combination of attributes to help push the sport forward.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 27 May 2026
And so use your human attributes as a competitive advantage to sift through the results while everyone else takes the AI output and implements it blindly.
—Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Beyond physical attributes Natural selection doesn’t only operate on anatomical or physical traits.
—Owen D. Jones, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
To come up with its list, World Atlas evaluated towns across the country for attributes such as friendly locals, high community spirit, local institutions (such as staple neighborhood restaurants), and special events, singling out a dozen for their welcoming vibes.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2026
This means that the zodiac sign (namely its attributes, element and modality) Venus transits through can determine the personality of the transit.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
Both books feature protagonists who are out of their elements but also possess unique attributes that first get them into trouble before becoming their one slim hope to escape.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributes
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Brewer ascribes Starbucks’ success in Italy, where even the average person is a coffee connoisseur, to offering people, especially young people, a place to relax and enjoy a coffee.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This breakup analysis ascribes no value to the companies being under the same corporate parent.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That 10-goal swing explains most of the standings drop.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Jerry Lanuzza, associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains how to store alcohol, whether alcohol goes bad, and how long different types will last.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The company said the findings support a growing shift toward precision medicine, where therapies are tailored to the biological characteristics of an individual’s disease rather than applying the same treatment approach to all patients with similar clinical features.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
-
This means the fruit from the seedling will closely resemble that of the parent plant in flavor and other characteristics.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Stina Ehrensvard, last year’s WEOY winner and founder of Stockholm cybersecurity firm Yubico, credits Sweden’s childcare system with making her path possible.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
-
The four-time Tony nominee credits his wife and three sons as his grounding force.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The club had learned to accept that the 51-year-old is extremely demanding and ambitious, qualities that actually made working with him a challenge at times.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
And the qualities that once stigmatized the sport are now venerated by the White House.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Most warm weather breeds share unique physical traits that keep them cool in high temperatures.—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Barring Bowen, only Tomas Soucek has leadership traits.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
These features can also benefit audience members who may never identify as neurodivergent.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
The store's history was documented in several newspaper, magazine and television features.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Political discussions on social media are often dominated by competing attributions of more and more insidious motives to people on the other side.—
Mark Schroeder,
The Conversation,
20 Feb. 2026
-
This post was corrected on 21 January 2021 to clarify attributions.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Attributes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attributes. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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