dissociate
verb
Did you know?
Dissociate and its synonym disassociate can both mean "to separate from association or union with another." Associate is from Latin ad-, meaning "to," and sociare, meaning "to join." Dis- in this case means "do the opposite of," so both dissociate and disassociate indicate severing that which is united. Some commentators, however, argue that disassociate is illogical because it indicates separating and uniting simultaneously. Dissociate is slightly older, appearing in the late 16th century, whereas early evidence of disassociate is found in the beginning decade of the next century. Dissociate is recommended by a number of commentators on the basis that it is shorter, which it is by a grand total of two letters—not the firmest ground for an endorsement. Both words are in current good use, but disassociate is used more often in the U.S.
Examples of dissociate in a Sentence
Donna L. Maney, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025
The Ratliff family is on the brink of financial ruin as Jason Isaacs’ patriarch Timothy holds out from telling his wife or children and instead gulps down Victoria’s (Parker Posey) lorazepam to dissociate from reality.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
On still larger scales, or the scales of cosmic filaments or the space between multiple galaxy clusters, some of them are drifting apart, destined to dissociate.
—Big Think, 14 Mar. 2025
Since many Tesla owners want to dissociate themselves from the CEO, one company that sells such stickers claimed to be selling hundreds of them a day.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissociate
Cite this Entry
“Dissociate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissociate. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dissociate
verb
Medical Definition
dissociate
verb
Share