Standard Lemma guide

ascribe

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /əˈskɹaɪb/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪb
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 S K R AY1 B Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To regard as arising from a specified cause or source.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • One may ascribe these problems to the federal government; however, at this stage it is unclear what caused them.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accredit, attribute, impute

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To attribute (a book, painting, or any other work of art or literature) to a writer or creator.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • It is arguable as to whether we can truly ascribe this play to Shakespeare.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: attribute

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To believe in or agree with; to subscribe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: nonstandard

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

attribute or credit to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare
  • People impute great cleverness to cats

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: impute, assign, attribute

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: evaluate, pass judgment, judge

Narrower terms: impute, sensualize, carnalize, credit, reattribute, anthropomorphize, anthropomorphise, personify, personate, accredit, blame, charge, project, externalize, externalise, internalize, internalise, interiorize, interiorise

History

Etymology

From Middle English ascriben, from Old French ascrivre (“inscribe, attribute, impute”), from Latin āscrībere (“to state in writing”), equivalent to a- + scribe.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: ayağına yazmaq — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Bulgarian: приписвам (pripisvam) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歸咎 /归咎 (guījiù) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歸功 /归功 (guīgōng) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歸因 /归因 (guīyīn) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Dutch: toeschrijven aan — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Dutch: wijten aan — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Esperanto: alskribi — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Estonian: omistama — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Finnish: katsoa johtuvan — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Finnish: katsoa aiheutuvan — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Finnish: panna jonkun/jonkin syyksi — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • French: imputer — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • French: attribuer — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • French: prêter — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Galician: atribuír — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Georgian: მიწერა (mic̣era) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Georgian: მიკუთვნება (miḳutvneba) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • German: zurückführen — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • German: zuschreiben — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hebrew: ייחס — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hebrew: יִחֵס (yikhés) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hungarian: tulajdonít — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hungarian: betud — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hungarian: beszámít — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Hungarian: felró — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Italian: ascrivere — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Norwegian: tilskrive — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Occitan: atribuir — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Polish: przypisywać — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Polish: przypisać — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Portuguese: atribuir — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Romanian: atribui — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Russian: припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Russian: приписа́ть (pripisátʹ) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Spanish: adscribir — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Spanish: arrogar — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Swedish: tillskriva — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Swedish: tillmäta — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Turkish: atfedilmiş — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Ukrainian: припи́сувати (prypýsuvaty) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Ukrainian: приписа́ти (prypysáty) — to attribute a cause or characteristic to
  • Arabic: نَسَبَ (nasaba) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Arabic: عَزَا (ʕazā) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Bulgarian: приписвам (pripisvam) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Chinese Mandarin: 归功于 — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Chinese Mandarin: 归于 (guīyú) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Cornish: askrifa — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Dutch: toeschrijven aan — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Estonian: omistama — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Finnish: olla jonkun tekemä — to attribute a work to its creator
  • French: attribuer — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Galician: atribuír — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Georgian: მიწერა (mic̣era) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Georgian: მიკუთვნება (miḳutvneba) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • German: zuschreiben — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Hungarian: tulajdonít — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Italian: attribuire — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Latin: addīcō — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Romanian: atribui — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Russian: припи́сывать (pripísyvatʹ) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Russian: приписа́ть (pripisátʹ) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Spanish: adscribir — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Spanish: arrogar — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Ukrainian: припи́сувати (prypýsuvaty) — to attribute a work to its creator
  • Ukrainian: приписа́ти (prypysáty) — to attribute a work to its creator