verb / noun · academic
attribute
/əˈtrɪbjuːt/at·TRI·bute
(v) to say that something is caused by someone or something; (n) a quality or characteristic of someone or something
Examples
“Researchers often attribute changes in behaviour to social factors when analysing survey data.”
“Patience is an important attribute for teachers working with teenagers.”
“We can attribute the rise in traffic to the new shopping centre opening nearby.”
“One attribute of high-quality research is transparent methodology.”
Band 8 sentence
“Most scholars attribute the variation in test scores to a combination of socio-economic factors and differing school resources.”
Collocations
- attribute something to someone/something
- be attributed to
- key/important attribute
- attribute error/failure
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'because' instead of 'attribute'→attribute ... to
say 'an attribute that causes' when meaning 'attribute to'→attribute (something) to (something)
Say it for a higher band
5put down to→6ascribe→7+attribute
Synonyms
ascribe
credit
Easily confused
ascribe
“Many critics ascribe the success of the film to its innovative direction.”
Related words
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In Sublist 10
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