Definition

The act of assigning a quality or characteristic to someone or something.

Example

The ascription of talent to the young artist surprised everyone.

Conversation

Have you ever thought about the concept of ascription in society?

Yeah, it's interesting how people are often placed in categories based on their background.

Right? It makes you wonder how much of our identity is based on that ascription.

Totally! I think it's important to challenge those labels and see beyond them.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Ascription is formed from "ad-" (meaning to) and "scribere" (meaning to write). The word refers to the act of attributing or assigning something to a particular source or cause, as if writing it down as belonging to that source.

Memory Tip

Think of 'writing' ('scribere') something 'to' ('ad-') a specific source — that's how ascription means to attribute something.

Visually Confused Words