1
as in ascribing
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in explaining
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attributing
Sure, Ghost has his creative license to put that in a skit without anyone attributing it directly to him, but the skit was funny without joking about spousal abuse.
—
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
As the government works to appeal the decision, state and federal officials are publicly attributing their loss in federal court to Williams, a veteran jurist appointed by former President Barack Obama.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
In Los Angeles, officials recently reported a 7% rise in online academy enrollment, attributing the spike in part to immigration fears.
—Nik Popli, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
Kay misses the mark in attributing the prevalence of OCD to contemporary American culture.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Nintendo delayed pre-orders of its Switch 2 by a few weeks in April, attributing the delay to tariffs.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025
ThredUp’s attributing some of its success to artificial intelligence.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
Critics argue that attributing human-like emotions to AI is a form of anthropomorphism, where the complex processes of AI optimization are mistakenly equated with human feelings.
—Luis E. Romero, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Schwieterman also has his own concerns about attributing this signature to DMS.
—Perri Thaler, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
As the government works to appeal the decision, state and federal officials are publicly attributing their loss in federal court to Williams, a veteran jurist appointed by former President Barack Obama.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
In Los Angeles, officials recently reported a 7% rise in online academy enrollment, attributing the spike in part to immigration fears.
—Nik Popli, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
Kay misses the mark in attributing the prevalence of OCD to contemporary American culture.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Nintendo delayed pre-orders of its Switch 2 by a few weeks in April, attributing the delay to tariffs.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025
ThredUp’s attributing some of its success to artificial intelligence.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
Critics argue that attributing human-like emotions to AI is a form of anthropomorphism, where the complex processes of AI optimization are mistakenly equated with human feelings.
—Luis E. Romero, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Schwieterman also has his own concerns about attributing this signature to DMS.
—Perri Thaler, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributing
Verb
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Poor luck plagued him, but ascribing all of this outing to misfortune is misguided.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Looking more broadly at the effect of unions on nonunion pay, the effect goes up, with the decline in union membership explaining a third of the total increase in wage inequality for men.—
Laura Clawson,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Sep. 2025
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McDaniel seemingly echoed his players’ sentiments, explaining that the focus should be on who made it over those that did not.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Abbott said the legislation puts Texas on a healthier path, crediting Kennedy with galvanizing healthier living movement.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Aug. 2025
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The relationship caused a spike in engagement with the NFL and the Chiefs, with billionaire Chiefs owner Clark Hunt crediting Swift for boosting the team’s female fanbase.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Bob felt that Clark Gilmer was 'justifying the harm' done to trans people in her comments about King.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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One of the report's key authors has a lengthy record of bias against Israel, including openly justifying the Houthi terrorist attacks on Israeli civilian targets.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attributing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attributing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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