attribute synonyms

attribute

n.

quality, trait, property; see characteristic, quality 1. See syn. study atquality.

attribute

v.

ascribe, credit, impute, assign, refer to, trace to, connect, give credit, accredit, associate, attach, put down to, set down to, lay to, apply to, fix upon, account for, point to, blame, chalk up to, lay at one's door*; see also accuse.

Antonyms deny*, dissociate*, absolve.

attribute implies assignment of a quality, factor, or responsibility that may reasonably be regarded as applying or belonging to someone or something to attribute an error to carelessness; ascribe implies assignment of something that may reasonably be deduced to ascribe a motive to someone; impute usually implies the assignment of something unfavorable or accusatory to impute evil to someone; assign, in this comparison, implies the placement of something in a particular category because of some quality or characteristic attributed to it to assign a poem to the 17th century; credit implies belief in the possession of some quality or the responsibility for some action, often of a commendable nature to credit someone with intelligence; attach implies the connection of something with something else as being appropriate to it different people attach different meanings to words

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.