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
Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The higher thread count also attributes to sateen being more wrinkle-resistant than cotton percale sheets.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
Roblox attributes its daily active user growth to those hits, but also to games outside the top ten, which saw 68% growth in engagement, the company said in its Thursday press release.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Russell hasn’t played in 15 of the last 16 games, which Kidd attributes to wanting to play the Mavericks’ younger point guards Brandon Williams and two-way Ryan Nembhard.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026
The government attributes much of the violence to drug trafficking.
—Djenane Villanueva, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Ha, though a newcomer, attributes her want to return to that very thing.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon, who is joint-second for Champions League goal contributions (eight, behind Kylian Mbappe), attributes that contrast to stylistic differences between the two tournaments.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Stevenson attributes some of the success at reducing the homeless numbers to HART’s efforts at providing vouchers for temporary hotel housing and PATH’s help in finding stable housing for homeless people.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Without the correct attributes — competitiveness, mindset, IQ, internal drive — Donovan fears a young player could flounder in Chicago.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Mars’ Pringles tapped Sabrina Carpenter for its Super Bowl commercial, but played up attributes of the snack.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
But for an unwilling or unprepared person immersed in this place, these attributes can become much more menacing.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026
All of these practices are attributes of a uniquely D&D subculture.
—Emily Messina, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2026
According to Gorman and Disney’s 2026 proxy filing, the Disney board began by figuring out what the key attributes should be in Disney’s next CEO, and talking to internal candidates and external candidates about what their vision for the company is.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Cunningham was the third and final hire of the front office and head coach trifecta to emphasize the importance of those attributes.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
When a user is online shopping, Phia can detect the exact image by price, brand, and physical attributes like color and shape.
—Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance attributes the closure to Beacon Hill policies, warning that the state continues to lose too many businesses to other states like New Hampshire and North Carolina, which have lower costs and a more competitive business environment.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
The higher thread count also attributes to sateen being more wrinkle-resistant than cotton percale sheets.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
Roblox attributes its daily active user growth to those hits, but also to games outside the top ten, which saw 68% growth in engagement, the company said in its Thursday press release.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Russell hasn’t played in 15 of the last 16 games, which Kidd attributes to wanting to play the Mavericks’ younger point guards Brandon Williams and two-way Ryan Nembhard.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026
The government attributes much of the violence to drug trafficking.
—Djenane Villanueva, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Ha, though a newcomer, attributes her want to return to that very thing.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon, who is joint-second for Champions League goal contributions (eight, behind Kylian Mbappe), attributes that contrast to stylistic differences between the two tournaments.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Stevenson attributes some of the success at reducing the homeless numbers to HART’s efforts at providing vouchers for temporary hotel housing and PATH’s help in finding stable housing for homeless people.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Players, within the same age range, can be grouped by physical attributes, play-driving, overall style and production, among other factors.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Without the correct attributes — competitiveness, mindset, IQ, internal drive — Donovan fears a young player could flounder in Chicago.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Mars’ Pringles tapped Sabrina Carpenter for its Super Bowl commercial, but played up attributes of the snack.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
But for an unwilling or unprepared person immersed in this place, these attributes can become much more menacing.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026
All of these practices are attributes of a uniquely D&D subculture.
—Emily Messina, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2026
According to Gorman and Disney’s 2026 proxy filing, the Disney board began by figuring out what the key attributes should be in Disney’s next CEO, and talking to internal candidates and external candidates about what their vision for the company is.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Cunningham was the third and final hire of the front office and head coach trifecta to emphasize the importance of those attributes.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
When a user is online shopping, Phia can detect the exact image by price, brand, and physical attributes like color and shape.
—Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributes
Verb
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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
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Harvard Professor Carla Martin explains how cacao transformed from a sacred drink into a Valentine’s Day staple — and how history, marketing and chemistry helped give chocolate its emotional power.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Athletes are tested for substances as part of the Monitoring Program during regular doping checks in order to gather data on usage, Fitzgerald explains.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This perception of tatreez, or traditional Palestinian embroidery, as a type of visual language is widely shared, owing to its intimacy with the land and biographical characteristics.—
Zoe Whitfield,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In vacating the life prison term in 2024, Cook County Judge Marc Martin found in part that Modrowski had been unfairly portrayed as emotionless and cold during his 1995 trial and sentencing proceedings when the characteristics were likely due to his autism.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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City data show San Jose more than doubled its shelter capacity last year and moved more than 1,000 unhoused residents indoors, part of an effort the mayor credits with reducing visible street homelessness.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
O'Hara credits community and law enforcement partnerships in that effort.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But with those demands, consumers demands may surpass manufacturers’ qualities, leaving consumers searching for the perfect fit.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The character of Mandakini required specific qualities that Rajamouli believes Chopra Jonas uniquely possesses.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Personality traits such as mental toughness, discipline, high pain tolerance and persistence may also lead to worsened eating disorder risk and behaviors in athletes.—
Emily Hemendinger,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Because so many anatomical and physiological traits differ between the two animals, the specific impact of limb mass distribution could not be isolated.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 2025 alone, the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM) backed 23 foreign features through the incentive scheme, generating more than $165 million in local investment.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The film marks a buzzy return to the theatrical features for Belgian director and producer Frank Van Passel, best known for Cannes breakout and Oscar entry Mannekin Pis and Villa des Roses, with more recent credits including mystery thriller series Moresnet.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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 15 Feb. 2026.
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