Contribute vs. Attribute — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 30, 2023
"Contribute" means to give or supply in common with others, while "Attribute" is to regard as resulting from a specific cause or origin.
Difference Between Contribute and Attribute
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Contribute" typically signifies an act of giving, adding, or supplying, often within a collective context. In contrast, "Attribute" suggests assigning a particular cause or origin to something, pinpointing a source or reason for its existence.
When someone chooses to "Contribute" to a cause, they decide to offer something, be it time, money, or resources, to aid or enhance that cause. Meanwhile, to "Attribute" something to a cause means to identify or assign that cause as the reason or source of the specific event or situation.
If a group of people "Contribute" to a community project, they all play a part or provide resources to ensure the project's success. On the other hand, if a person "Attributes" a team's success to good leadership, they believe the leadership was the primary factor in the team's achievement.
To "Contribute" is to actively participate or give. It's a proactive verb suggesting an offering or addition. "Attribute" is more analytical, used when trying to find or explain the cause or origin of something, making sense of why it exists or occurred.
Overall, while "Contribute" is about giving and participating, "Attribute" revolves around identification and explanation.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
To give or supply.
To assign a cause or origin.
Action
Active, giving.
Analytical, identifying.
Context
Often collective.
Reasoning or explaining.
Usage
Refers to a tangible or intangible addition.
Often used to find the source or cause of something.
Relation
About offering or adding.
About identification and causality.
Compare with Definitions
Contribute
To supply for publication.
She contributes articles to the local newspaper.
Attribute
To regard as resulting from a specified cause.
He attributed his success to hard work.
Contribute
To add to something in order to improve it.
The volunteers contribute their time and energy.
Attribute
A quality or feature of a person or thing.
Her best attribute is her determination.
Contribute
To play a significant part in making something happen.
Several factors contributed to his success.
Attribute
To explain something by indicating a cause.
She attributed the quote to Shakespeare.
Contribute
To have a part in bringing about an end result.
His research contributed to the discovery.
Attribute
To credit something to someone.
The song is attributed to the band's lead singer.
Contribute
To give or supply in common with others; give to a common fund or for a common purpose.
Attribute
To regard as arising from a particular cause or source; ascribe
Attributed their failure to a lack of preparation.
Contribute
To submit for publication
Contributed two stories to the summer issue.
Attribute
To regard (a work, for example) as belonging to or produced by a specified agent, place, or time
Attributed the painting to Titian.
Attributed the vase to 18th-century Japan.
Contribute
To make a contribution
Contributes to several charities.
Attribute
A quality or characteristic inherent in or ascribed to someone or something.
Contribute
To help bring about a result; act as a factor
Exercise contributes to better health.
Attribute
An object associated with and serving to identify a character, personage, or office
Lightning bolts are an attribute of Zeus.
Contribute
To submit material for publication.
Attribute
(Grammar) A word or phrase syntactically subordinate to another word or phrase that it modifies; for example, my sister's and brown in my sister's brown dog.
Contribute
(ambitransitive) To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.
To contribute money to a church fund
To contribute articles to a journal
Attribute
A characteristic or quality of a thing.
His finest attribute is his kindness.
Contribute
To give or grant i common with others; to give to a common stock or for a common purpose; to furnish or suply in part; to give (money or other aid) for a specified object; as, to contribute food or fuel for the poor.
England contributes much more than any other of the allies.
Attribute
An object that is considered typical of someone or some function, in particular as an artistic convention.
The eagle and the bolt of lightning are attributes of Jove.
Contribute
To give a part to a common stock; to lend assistance or aid, or give something, to a common purpose; to have a share in any act or effect.
We are engaged in war; the secretary of state calls upon the colonies to contribute.
Attribute
(grammar) A word that qualifies a noun.
Contribute
To give or use one's power or influence for any object; to assist.
These men also contributed to obstruct the progress of wisdom.
Attribute
(logic) That which is predicated or affirmed of a subject; a predicate; an accident.
Contribute
Bestow a quality on;
Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company
The music added a lot to the play
She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings
This adds a light note to the program
Attribute
An option or setting belonging to some object.
This packet has its coherency attribute set to zero.
A file with the read-only attribute set cannot be overwritten.
Contribute
Contribute to some cause;
I gave at the office
Attribute
(programming) A semantic item with which a method or other code element may be decorated.
Properties can be marked as obsolete with an attribute, which will cause the compiler to generate a warning if they are used.
Contribute
Be conducive to;
The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writing
Attribute
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Contribute
Provide;
The city has to put up half the required amount
Attribute
A numeric value representing the colours of part of the screen display.
Contribute
To give (something, especially money) in order to help achieve or provide something.
She decided to contribute $500 to the charity.
Attribute
To ascribe (something) to a given cause, reason etc.
Attribute
To associate ownership or authorship of (something) to someone.
This poem is attributed to Browning.
Attribute
To ascribe; to consider (something) as due or appropriate (to); to refer, as an effect to a cause; to impute; to assign; to consider as belonging (to).
We attribute nothing to God that hath any repugnancy or contradiction in it.
The merit of service is seldom attributed to the true and exact performer.
Attribute
That which is attributed; a quality which is considered as belonging to, or inherent in, a person or thing; an essential or necessary property or characteristic.
But mercy is above this sceptered away; . . .It is an attribute to God himself.
Attribute
Reputation.
Attribute
A conventional symbol of office, character, or identity, added to any particular figure; as, a club is the attribute of Hercules.
Attribute
Quality, etc., denoted by an attributive; an attributive adjunct or adjective.
Attribute
A construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished;
Self-confidence is not an endearing property
Attribute
An abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
Attribute
Attribute or credit to;
We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare
People impute great cleverness to cats
Attribute
Decide as to where something belongs in a scheme;
The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class
Attribute
A symbol or term representing a property or characteristic.
In grammar, singular is an attribute of nouns.
Common Curiosities
Does Contribute always refer to money?
No, contribute can refer to giving time, resources, ideas, or any other form of assistance.
How is Attribute used in a sentence?
Attribute can mean to regard something as being caused by something else or can refer to a quality or feature of something.
What does Contribute mean?
Contribute means to give or supply, often within a collective context.
What's the opposite of Attribute?
In terms of assigning blame or credit, "deny" can be an opposite.
Is contributing passive?
No, to contribute is an active process of giving or adding.
Can you attribute success to contributions?
Yes, one can say that contributions from team members attributed to the project's success.
Can a person be attributed with a quality?
Yes, for example, one might attribute honesty to a trustworthy individual.
Can Attribute mean a characteristic?
Yes, an attribute can refer to a quality, feature, or characteristic of a person or thing.
How are Contribute and Attribute related in terms of cause?
Contribute is about providing or adding to a cause, while Attribute is about assigning or identifying a cause.
Is to contribute the same as to donate?
While similar, donate typically refers to giving money or goods for a good cause, whereas contribute has a broader meaning.
When would one use Attribute over Contribute?
Use Attribute when identifying a cause or source and Contribute when discussing giving or adding.
Is every attribute positive?
No, an attribute simply refers to a characteristic or feature, which can be positive, negative, or neutral.
Are contributions always positive?
Not necessarily. One can contribute to a problem, meaning they are part of the cause.
Can one attribute feelings to someone?
Yes, for example, one might attribute feelings of sadness to someone experiencing a loss.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
