Dissociating Definition & Meaning

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

The director has tried to dissociate himself from his earlier films. Why is the organization choosing to dissociate itself from its founder?

Recent Examples on the Web Lacking a television or anything to occupy his mind save for Sam’s sessions, Alan soon begins to dissociate into conversations with his own deceased therapist (David Alan Grier). — Inkoo Kang, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 When harm happens on the other side of this division, the impulse to dissociate privileges one’s own innocence over the needs of those most impacted. — WIRED, 26 Aug. 2022 Formerly known as Lady Antebellum, the group truncated its name in June 2020 to dissociate from the racist history of the pre-Civil War era that its original moniker conjured. — Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2022 In other words, the static magnetic field of a magnetar is strong enough to simply... dissociate you. — Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 17 June 2022 However, their natural disposition to zone out and dissociate can feel isolating for them and everyone around them. — Glamour, 31 May 2022 This is often easier said than done, depending on your ability to dissociate fiction from reality, even if that reality is disputed. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 10 Feb. 2022 Deeper into the magnetar, the atomic nuclei eventually dissociate in a sea of neutrons. — Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 17 June 2022 This is often easier said than done, depending on your ability to dissociate fiction from reality, even if that reality is disputed. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 10 Feb. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dissociate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.