An attribute is a characteristic or a property that is inherent in an application. A myriad of attributes exist in word processing, database systems, database management systems, and DOS operating systems.

In a word processing application, for example, an underlined word can be described as having the underline attribute. In database systems, a field on which data is organized can have various attributes. For example, if the field contains numeric data, then it can be described as having the numeric attribute. In database management systems, the term attribute can be used as a synonym for field. And, in DOS systems, every file has file attributes that indicate several properties of the file. For example, the attributes can indicate whether or not the file is read-only, whether or not it requires backing up, or whether or not the file is visible or hidden.

Attributes are also operative in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), where they are represented as a so-called attribute object. For example, the attribute NAME sets or retrieves the name of the object.