What does impute mean?
To impute is to assign or attribute something to a person, source, or explanation. Its best-known use is in the expression 'impute blame to' someone, meaning to hold that person responsible for a fault, mistake, or wrongdoing. The verb can also be used more neutrally: one may impute a value to a property, attribute a quality to an object, or infer an amount from evidence. Because of its association with accusations, impute often carries a somewhat critical or suspicious implication, particularly when no clear evidence has been established. It is common in formal writing, including legal reports, journalism, academic analysis, and official investigations, while sounding noticeably more formal than simpler alternatives such as blame, assign, or attribute.
verbTo attribute or assign something to a particular person, cause, or source, especially fault, responsibility, blame, or value. In formal and legal contexts, it often implies assigning responsibility for an error or wrongdoing.
- To attribute fault, blame, or responsibility to a person or group.
- To assign or attribute a value, quality, or characteristic to something or someone.
- To infer or estimate a value or quantity from available evidence.
"The report cautioned against imputing blame to the driver before the investigation was complete."
"Reviewers should not impute motives to the author that are not supported by the text."
"The analyst imputed the discrepancy to a change in the measurement method."
To impute is to place responsibility on a name, even when the evidence has not yet earned that name the blame.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impute come from?
The word comes from Latin imputare, formed from in- and putare, meaning 'to bring in' or 'to place upon' in a particular sense. In Latin, imputare developed into the idea of assigning responsibility or attributing an offence to someone. English borrowed the word in the 16th century, initially especially in legal and theological contexts, and later developed its broader modern uses involving blame, responsibility, value, and inference. Its Latin relatives include compute and dispute, which belong to the same wider family associated with putare.
Related word forms
How impute is actually used
The word is formal and somewhat neutral in its factual sense, but can imply that an accusation is being made without adequate evidence. It is especially common in legal, journalistic, and academic writing. The phrase 'impute X to Y' is the usual construction.
Easily confused with impute
To impute something is to assign blame, responsibility, or a quality to a source, whereas to impart something is to communicate or transmit knowledge, information, or an influence.
Impute commonly occurs in formal or legal contexts involving blame or responsibility, while attribute is more general and can also mean to regard something as belonging to or caused by someone or something.