ascription

/əˈskrɪpʃən/

noun

  1. The act of attributing a quality, cause, responsibility, or achievement to someone or something.

    C1

    uncountable

    • "The ascription of blame to one person was unfair."B2
    • "The theory involves the ascription of human motives to natural forces."C1

  2. The assignment of a social position or status based on factors such as birth rather than personal achievement.

    C1

    uncountableformal

    • "In some societies, status is based on ascription rather than achievement."C1
    • "The ascription of rank by birth shaped the structure of the aristocracy."C2

Common mistakes

  • ascription of something for someone→ascription of something to someone

    Use “ascription of X to Y” when saying that X is attributed to Y.

  • ascription→attribution

    While similar, 'attribution' is more commonly used in everyday language.

Collocations

ascription of blameascription of responsibilityascription of motivesascription of statuspositive ascriptionnegative ascription

Word family

ascribeascribedascribingascriptive