attribution

A1T1T1R1I1B3U1T1I1O1N1
/ˌæ.tɹɪˈbju.ʃən/

noun

The act of attributing something.

“The attribution of the quote is widely regarded as dubious.”

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ascription
OriginMiddle French attribution ← Latin attributio →
CommonScrabble 13
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Meanings

nounattribution (countable and uncountable, plural attributions)

plural attributions

  1. countableuncountableThe act of attributing something.
  2. countableuncountableAn explicit or formal acknowledgment of ownership or authorship.

    The attribution of the quote is widely regarded as dubious.

  3. countableuncountablelawA legal doctrine by which liability is extended to a defendant who did not actually commit the tortious or criminal act.
  4. archaiccountableuncountableAuthority or function assigned

Synonyms & antonyms

nounassigning some quality or character to a person or thing

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Broader
classificationcategorizationcategorisation

nounassigning to a cause or source

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Broader
classificationcategorizationcategorisation
Also see
ascriptiondialogue tag

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinattributio
  2. Middle Frenchattribution
  3. Englishattribution

From Middle French attribution, from Latin attributio.

More words from Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish tilskrivning
  • tilskrivningacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Finnish attribuutio, alkuperä
  • attribuutioact
  • alkuperäacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
German Zuschreibung
  • Zuschreibungacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Hindi गुणारोपण
  • गुणारोपण (guṇāropaṇ)act
Indonesian atribusi
  • atribusiact
Irish aitreabúideacht
  • aitreabúideachtact
Norwegian Bokmål heder
  • hederacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Polish atrybucja, atrybucja
  • atrybucjaact
  • atrybucjaacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Spanish atribución, atribución
  • atribuciónact
  • atribuciónacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Swedish attribution, tillskrivning
  • attributionact
  • tillskrivningact
  • attributionacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
Tagalog atribusyon
  • atribusyonact
Vietnamese lời ghi công, lời công nhận
  • lời ghi côngacknowledgment of ownership or authorship
  • lời công nhậnacknowledgment of ownership or authorship

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with attribution

solutiondistributionresolutionevolutioninstitutionexecutioncontributionconstitutionrevolutionpollutionprosecutionsubstitutionpersecutiondissolutionprostitutiondilutionrestitutionretributionBelarusianconvolutionAleutianLuciandiminutionabsolution
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

attribution. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attribution

MLA

“attribution.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attribution. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “attribution,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/attribution.

Source: attribution on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.