attribution

noun

at·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

plural attributions

1

: the act of attributing something

especially : the ascribing of a work (as of literature or art) to a particular author or artist

2

: an ascribed quality, character, or right

Supernatural powers were attributions of the gods.

3

psychology : the interpretive process by which people make judgments about the causes of their own behavior and the behavior of others

Psychologists have long documented what they call the fundamental attribution error, the tendency for people to explain human behavior in terms of the traits of individual actors, even when powerful situational forces are at work.

—Erica Goode

attributional

ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• affection
• attribute
• character
• characteristic
• criterion
• diagnostic
• differentia
• feature
• fingerprint
• hallmark
• mark
• marker
• note
• particularity
• peculiarity
• point
• property
• quality
• specific
• stamp
• touch
• trait

Examples of attribution in a Sentence

a genuine respect for one another is one of the most commonly cited attributions of a happily married couple

Recent Examples on the Web

Build Low-Cost, Top-Of-Funnel Remarketing Audiences Most B2B companies base their PPC solely on last-click attribution in sales-lead campaigns. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

The use of random gender attribution for the survey experiment, meanwhile, shows that bias is verifiably a factor in gender gaps. —Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 4 Apr. 2025

This will likely involve multiple measurement systems such as multi-touch attribution, digital metrics or TV ad measurement platforms that can correlate the lift of brand advertising with response traffic. —Ben Kunz, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Subscribe Correction: This copy has been updated to fix quote attribution. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see attribute entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for attribution

• absolution
• allocution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• destitution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• distribution
• elocution

Legal Definition

attribution

noun

at·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

: a rule in tax law that in certain cases deems property owned by one person or business entity to be owned by another or others