impute

What does “impute” mean?

verb.to attribute (something, especially a fault or a crime) to someone.

SAT Usage

the term often appears in contexts involving blame, responsibility, or moral judgment, particularly in discussions about ethics or social dynamics. It emphasizes the act of assigning guilt or fault to someone, often implying an unfair or unjust attribution, which distinguishes it from similar terms like "attribute," which lacks the negative connotation of blame.

Common Confusions

Impute implies assigning blame or fault to someone, while attribute usually suggests simply recognizing or identifying a characteristic or quality without any negative implications.

Example Sentences

• The teacher imputed the student's failure to his nervousness.

• People impute great cleverness to cats.

• The politician was quick to impute blame on his opponent for the scandal, attempting to shift public opinion away from his own questionable decisions.

Word Parts: How to Remember “impute”

Break “impute” into its parts: in- (into). Knowing roots like these helps you decode unfamiliar SAT vocabulary.

• Prefix: in- into (Latin)