impute
verb
Simple meaning
Attribute to a cause or source.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihmpyootSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪmpˈjut
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source
“The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness.”
transitive
To attribute or credit to.
transitive
To take into account.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source
Used this way, impute is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use impute
- “The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A statement attributing something dishonest (especially a criminal offense).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.