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
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
This movie, along with recent articles on perimenopause and seemingly endless social media chatter, attributes every possible symptom associated with stress, parenthood, burnout, depression, and normal aging to perimenopause.
—Patricia Bencivenga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
Drake attributes that interest partly to his long career in the field.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Fasseas attributes medical costs to the rising price of being a pet owner.
—Ash-Har Quraishi, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Outpost attributes its success to community support and sourcing from local vendors.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Lu attributes the uptick in USMCA utilization to cost pressures and tariffs—the biggest anxieties facing executives today.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
The report attributes that to well-being boosts from family bonds and other social connections.
—ABC News, 18 Mar. 2026
Hartley attributes much of this interest, and a desire to protect Earth’s nightscapes, to the popularity of astrophotography.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Apr. 2026
Hints to motivations can be found by looking at California’s net out-migration stats by state and comparing those relocations with rankings of states for various attributes.
—Jeff Goertzen, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
At the time of her nomination, Bondi seemed to have the attributes of an attorney general.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Obama’s stone exterior has academics and architecture critics in mind; it’s loftily designed to resemble four hands coming together and comes with such other un-Trump-like attributes as a wetland walk and sustainable garden.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Boasting the complete libraries of MCU and Star Wars are undoubted attributes, but continually giving viewers new episodes of both in the same small stretch of time is an undeniable flex.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
For nearly every sport, there are innate attributes that can give an athlete an edge.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Building is a timepiece In the face of unfolding plans for demolition and redevelopment, preservationists fighting for the building’s survival view one of the structure’s greatest attributes being the physical incorporation of Timex’s identity as the iconic watchmaker into the main floor.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
Our dynamic modern life demands similar attributes in our clothes.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
Lowe primarily attributes this behavior shift to warming waters from climate change.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
This movie, along with recent articles on perimenopause and seemingly endless social media chatter, attributes every possible symptom associated with stress, parenthood, burnout, depression, and normal aging to perimenopause.
—Patricia Bencivenga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
Drake attributes that interest partly to his long career in the field.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Fasseas attributes medical costs to the rising price of being a pet owner.
—Ash-Har Quraishi, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Outpost attributes its success to community support and sourcing from local vendors.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Lu attributes the uptick in USMCA utilization to cost pressures and tariffs—the biggest anxieties facing executives today.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
The report attributes that to well-being boosts from family bonds and other social connections.
—ABC News, 18 Mar. 2026
Hartley attributes much of this interest, and a desire to protect Earth’s nightscapes, to the popularity of astrophotography.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Going beyond the basics of a typical smart scale, the MorphoScan breaks down segmental muscle and fat for each arm, each leg, and your torso, similar to a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, which is essentially a medical imagery test to gauge these same attributes.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Apr. 2026
Hints to motivations can be found by looking at California’s net out-migration stats by state and comparing those relocations with rankings of states for various attributes.
—Jeff Goertzen, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
At the time of her nomination, Bondi seemed to have the attributes of an attorney general.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Obama’s stone exterior has academics and architecture critics in mind; it’s loftily designed to resemble four hands coming together and comes with such other un-Trump-like attributes as a wetland walk and sustainable garden.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Boasting the complete libraries of MCU and Star Wars are undoubted attributes, but continually giving viewers new episodes of both in the same small stretch of time is an undeniable flex.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
For nearly every sport, there are innate attributes that can give an athlete an edge.
—Namir Khaliq, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Building is a timepiece In the face of unfolding plans for demolition and redevelopment, preservationists fighting for the building’s survival view one of the structure’s greatest attributes being the physical incorporation of Timex’s identity as the iconic watchmaker into the main floor.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2026
Our dynamic modern life demands similar attributes in our clothes.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 28 Mar. 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
-
Which explains everything and nothing.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
One explains why inflation exists, while the other tells you what to do when your rent goes up.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The interface of the desktop website version includes key mission milestones and characteristics about the moon, including information about landing sites during the Apollo era.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Hegseth exhibits those characteristics, and our soldiers finally have someone to follow.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Crockett credits Jennings with drawing the music, and the concept, out of him.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Tellez credits both her father and Culler for her rise.—
Jaelen Gilkey,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Clicking into the title will give you even more information, including a blurb about what parents need to know, a breakdown of potential concerns and positive qualities about the book, and reviews from kids.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Many plants are admired for their striking aesthetic qualities, and flowers such as tulips, lilies, sunflowers, and daisies beautify fields, gardens, windowsills, and bouquets the world over.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
How a child responds to peer pressure can highlight different traits.—
Amy Morin,
Parents,
3 Apr. 2026
-
These are seven quietly powerful traits that the most emotionally secure people share.—
Jessica Weiss,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anything stand out about other services and features?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
All four astronauts have been studying the moon extensively in their mission preparation, of course, but the precise launch date and time determined the specific features each would target during their all-too-fleeting close encounter, making this review time a necessity.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 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 6 Apr. 2026.
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