Thesaurus results for ASCRIBE

Q: How is the word 'ascribe' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ascribe are assign , attribute , credit , and impute . While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship. // forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

Q: When could 'assign' be used to replace 'ascribe'?

The words assign and ascribe are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation. // assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

Q: How is 'attribute' related to other words for 'ascribe'?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign . // attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

Q: When would 'credit' be a good substitute for 'ascribe'?

Although the words credit and ascribe have much in common, credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation. // credited his teammates for his success

Q: Where would 'impute' be a reasonable alternative to 'ascribe'?

While the synonyms impute and ascribe are close in meaning, impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame. // tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

ascribe

verb

ə-ˈskrīb

Definition of ascribe next

as in to attribute

to explain (something) as being the result of something else ascribed their stunning military victory to good intelligence beforehand

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ascribe different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of ascribe are assign, attribute, credit, and impute. While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

When could assign be used to replace ascribe?

The words assign and ascribe are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

How is attribute related to other words for ascribe?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

When would credit be a good substitute for ascribe?

Although the words credit and ascribe have much in common, credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

credited his teammates for his success

Where would impute be a reasonable alternative to ascribe?

While the synonyms impute and ascribe are close in meaning, impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ascribe If Ayden ascribed his own ability to learn, his intrinsic talents, to poverty and personal circumstance, simply being poor doesn’t account for his mechanical abilities. —

Rachel Kushner, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Freud was the proponent of etiology, a backward-looking theory that ascribes our behavior today to our shaping and forming early in life. —

Tim Maurer, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025 Meme culture is rife with examples of how symbols are ascribed new consensus meanings through new social agreements. —

Aarushi Bhandari, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025 Trump, clearly, does not ascribe to this view, and would like nothing more than to use his power to deflect any accountability away from himself. —

New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for ascribe