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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attributes
Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Newport Police Department attributes the death to carbon monoxide poisoning, as the entire vehicle, including the tailpipe, was covered with snow.
—Eryn Dion, The Providence Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
AirDNA attributes the modest price bump to abundant supply in South Florida, though the rate is still the third highest among host cities.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The group attributes these injuries to the militarization of the border, including a rise in violence by guards.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Wray also was runner-up seven times and third three times, a dynastic success that Smith attributes to a feeder wrestling program that was ahead of its time.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Tenacity and the love of theater are what Orange attributes to keeping the show going for 72 seasons.
—Mary Eber, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Gruver attributes their popularity to their versatility.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
In its report, the company attributes the slump largely to the restructuring phase in the first half of the year.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
Individual results may vary depending on patient-specific attributes and other factors.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The project also dug into technical attributes such as fiber quality, feedstock consistency and how material input relates to usable output.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Eight of Leeds’ 10 outfield starters tonight are best known for their open-play defensive attributes, with Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin the attacking exceptions.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Some of this has to do with his physical skills and attributes—his footwork, his body control—but a lot of it has to do with his anticipation and his vision, which opens up the court.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Players are selected based on their grade-point averages and leadership skills, among other attributes, honoring the best of the best.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Anderson-Rhodes said her aunt’s sense of humor was one of her greatest attributes.
—Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
There are certainly ways to mitigate some of their negative attributes without bulldozing them.
—Brian Barth, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Bolyak attributes the rise in cheerleading's popularity to Ukrainians seeking emotional respite from wartime stress and terror.
—Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Newport Police Department attributes the death to carbon monoxide poisoning, as the entire vehicle, including the tailpipe, was covered with snow.
—Eryn Dion, The Providence Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
AirDNA attributes the modest price bump to abundant supply in South Florida, though the rate is still the third highest among host cities.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
The group attributes these injuries to the militarization of the border, including a rise in violence by guards.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Wray also was runner-up seven times and third three times, a dynastic success that Smith attributes to a feeder wrestling program that was ahead of its time.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Tenacity and the love of theater are what Orange attributes to keeping the show going for 72 seasons.
—Mary Eber, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Gruver attributes their popularity to their versatility.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
In its report, the company attributes the slump largely to the restructuring phase in the first half of the year.
—New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
Luckily for investigators, the plant has some appropriately spooky attributes.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
Individual results may vary depending on patient-specific attributes and other factors.
—CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The project also dug into technical attributes such as fiber quality, feedstock consistency and how material input relates to usable output.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Eight of Leeds’ 10 outfield starters tonight are best known for their open-play defensive attributes, with Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin the attacking exceptions.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Some of this has to do with his physical skills and attributes—his footwork, his body control—but a lot of it has to do with his anticipation and his vision, which opens up the court.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Players are selected based on their grade-point averages and leadership skills, among other attributes, honoring the best of the best.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Anderson-Rhodes said her aunt’s sense of humor was one of her greatest attributes.
—Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
There are certainly ways to mitigate some of their negative attributes without bulldozing them.
—Brian Barth, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 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
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This breakup analysis ascribes no value to the companies being under the same corporate parent.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But they were chosen as the targets for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) to assess our planetary defense capabilities, Makadia explains.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In the first episode, the peacemaking mission between Josh and Seth, in rural Montana, completely falls apart, and the mediator—who explains that this is his first official mediation—mostly just stands there as the neighbors trade insults and issue threats.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The motion to disqualify Robinson, at this point an allegation, touches upon one of the defining characteristics of the Supreme Court — that discussions among judges when deliberating over decisions are confidential.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Every building has distinguishing characteristics.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Knicks head coach Mike Brown credits paint protection and unselfish play for his team’s winning record against the best in the NBA.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Mercuriadis credits music with shaping his political awareness.—
Lily Moayeri,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Below, designers share how to make a staircase look timeless and design-forward—plus the qualities that can make a staircase look quickly dated.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Many of the qualities required to be a phenomenal investor are present in AI, which can absorb endless data, recognize historical patterns, and operate entirely free of human greed, fear, or fads.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The competing hypotheses, which seek to identify common traits between Little Foot and any of these species, highlight why the fossil continues to be such a rich resource of information that could contain clues to human evolution.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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This late in the draft, the Colts — like pretty much every team — are swinging on traits.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These Rains cargo pants are a genius way to stay dry in style on a wet, chilly day, with a waterproof exterior, plus useful features like a comfortable drawstring waist and large rain-safe pockets.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps Little Foot’s lineage was more closely related to East African hominins, while South African hominins evolved distinct facial features later on, the authors wrote in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 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 12 Mar. 2026.
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