Meanings
present singular third person ascribes · participle present ascribing · participle past ascribed · past ascribed
- transitiveTo regard as arising from a specified cause or source.
One may ascribe these problems to the federal government; however, at this stage it is unclear what caused them.
3 more examples
Thus the Aſſe having a peculiar mark of a croſſe made by a black liſt down his back, and another athwart, or at right angles down his ſhoulders; common opinion aſcribes this figure unto a peculiar ſignation; ſince that beaſt had the honour to bear our Saviour on his back.
1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Same [i.e., the Blacknesse of Negroes]”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 6th book, page 282Difficult running was ascribed by the driver to inferior coal, alleged to be Polish.
1950 September, “Notes and News: Italian Fuel Difficulties”, in Railway Magazine, page 639SCP-3125 incarnated the following winter. Its first act upon its arrival — or, depending on the degree of intelligent agency you ascribed to it, the first side-effect of its arrival — was the neutralisation of the Foundation.
2019 August 26, qntm, “Unthreaded”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 161 - transitiveTo attribute (a book, painting, or any other work of art or literature) to a writer or creator.
It is arguable as to whether we can truly ascribe this play to Shakespeare.
1 more example
[…]and two enormous Scottish poems, the Buik of Alexander, which has been improbably ascribed to Barbour, and Sir Gilbert Hay's Buik of Alexander the Conquerour; one nearly complete Prose Life of Alexander and fragments of four others; a stanzaic translation of the Fuerres de Gadres which survives only in a fragment, the Romance of Cassamus, and three separate translations of the Secreta Secretorum.
2012, William Matthews, The Tragedy of Arthur, University of California Press, page 68Synonyms: attribute
- nonstandardTo believe in or agree with; to subscribe.
And the truth is, I don't ascribe to the belief that God is more successful at drawing women to him than men.
2012, Mike Nappa, The Jesus Survey: What Christian Teens Really Believe and Why, →ISBN3 more examples
A survey of the literature reveals that many who have commented on the signaling of animals ascribe to the view that all of their communicative signals are manifestations of emotion or affect.
1997, James A. Russell, José Miguel Fernández-Dols, The Psychology of Facial Expression, →ISBN, page 133If we take a holistic view of human beings, we ascribe to the idea that humans are multidimensional and that they are greater than the sum of their parts – for example, their physical, psychological and spiritual aspects.
2010, Beverley Joan Taylor, Reflective Practice for Healthcare Professionals: A Practical Guide, →ISBNThere are plenty of people who ascribe to the idea that, if they only have a short time on this earth, they want to be “used up” when it's their time to go.
2012, Joan Friedlander, Business from Bed, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo attribute (a book, painting, or any other work of art or literature) to a writer or creator.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latināscrībere“to state in writing”
- Old Frenchascrivre“inscribe, attribute, impute”
- Middle Englishascriben
- Englishascribe
From Middle English ascriben, from Old French ascrivre (“inscribe, attribute, impute”), from Latin āscrībere (“to state in writing”), equivalent to a- + scribe.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نَسَبَ, عَزَا
- نَسَبَ (nasaba)to attribute a work to its creator
- عَزَا (ʕazā)to attribute a work to its creator
Bulgarian приписвам, приписвам
- приписвам (pripisvam)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- приписвам (pripisvam)to attribute a work to its creator
Chinese Mandarin 歸咎 /归咎, 歸功 /归功
- 歸咎 /归咎 (guījiù)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- 歸功 /归功 (guīgōng)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- 歸因 /归因 (guīyīn)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- 归功于to attribute a work to its creator
- 归于 (guīyú)to attribute a work to its creator
Dutch toeschrijven aan, wijten aan
- toeschrijven aanto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- wijten aanto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- toeschrijven aanto attribute a work to its creator
Esperanto alskribi
- alskribito attribute a cause or characteristic to
Estonian omistama, omistama
- omistamato attribute a cause or characteristic to
- omistamato attribute a work to its creator
Finnish katsoa johtuvan, katsoa aiheutuvan
- katsoa johtuvanto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- katsoa aiheutuvanto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- panna jonkun/jonkin syyksito attribute a cause or characteristic to
- olla jonkun tekemäto attribute a work to its creator
French imputer, attribuer
- imputerto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- attribuerto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- prêterto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- attribuerto attribute a work to its creator
German zurückführen, zuschreiben
- zurückführento attribute a cause or characteristic to
- zuschreibento attribute a cause or characteristic to
- zuschreibento attribute a work to its creator
Hebrew ייחס, יִחֵס
- ייחסto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- יִחֵס (yikhés)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
Hungarian tulajdonít, betud
- tulajdonítto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- betudto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- beszámítto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- felróto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- tulajdonítto attribute a work to its creator
Italian ascrivere, attribuire
- ascrivereto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- attribuireto attribute a work to its creator
Latin addīcō
- addīcōto attribute a work to its creator
Norwegian tilskrive
- tilskriveto attribute a cause or characteristic to
Polish przypisywać, przypisać
- przypisywaćto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- przypisaćto attribute a cause or characteristic to
Portuguese atribuir
- atribuirto attribute a cause or characteristic to
Romanian atribui, atribui
- atribuito attribute a cause or characteristic to
- atribuito attribute a work to its creator
Russian припи́сывать, приписа́ть
- припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- приписа́ть (pripisátʹ)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ)to attribute a work to its creator
- приписа́ть (pripisátʹ)to attribute a work to its creator
Spanish adscribir, arrogar
- adscribirto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- arrogarto attribute a cause or characteristic to
- adscribirto attribute a work to its creator
- arrogarto attribute a work to its creator
Swedish tillskriva, tillmäta
- tillskrivato attribute a cause or characteristic to
- tillmätato attribute a cause or characteristic to
Turkish atfedilmiş
- atfedilmişto attribute a cause or characteristic to
Ukrainian припи́сувати, приписа́ти
- припи́сувати (prypýsuvaty)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- приписа́ти (prypysáty)to attribute a cause or characteristic to
- припи́сувати (prypýsuvaty)to attribute a work to its creator
- приписа́ти (prypysáty)to attribute a work to its creator
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ascribe
Anagrams
Cite this entry
ascribe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ascribe
“ascribe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ascribe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ascribe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ascribe.
Source: ascribe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.