dissociation

noun

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dis·so·ci·a·tion | \ (ˌ)di-ˌsō-sē-ˈā-shən

, -shē- \

Definition of dissociation

1 : the act or process of dissociating : the state of being dissociated: such as

a : the process by which a chemical combination breaks up into simpler constituents especially : one that results from the action of energy (such as heat) on a gas or of a solvent on a dissolved substance

2 : the property inherent in some biological stocks (as of certain bacteria) of differentiating into two or more distinct and relatively permanent strains also : such a strain

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Examples of dissociation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The double invisibility of Minnesota barely being real, and black people feeling unseen here, has led to a sort of estrangement and dissociation from our place of residence. — Safy-hallan Farah, Rolling Stone, "George Floyd’s Murder Showed Our Pain to America. His Killer’s Conviction Gives Many of Us a Shred of Hope," 21 Apr. 2021 Yacoubian acknowledged that alcohol may have played some role in the shooting, but only in concert with the dissociation Tamayo was experiencing. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, "Alcohol, PTSD diagnosis cited in parallel reviews of off-duty LAPD campsite shooting," 20 Apr. 2021 First Padnos felt pain, then dissociation, then, ironically, more of the same curiosity that led him to Syria in the first place. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, "The Awful Wisdom of the Hostage," 5 Apr. 2021 That dissociation creates an ionized gas with properties far different from that of your typical, average gaseous matter. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "Plasma Lighters Are Better Than Butane. Here's the Proof.," 2 Mar. 2021 In the grip of such ambition, the overriding need is to win, and that can’t be done, I once was forced to learn, without erasure, distortion, and dissociation from the messy realities of the past. — William Hogeland, The New Republic, "Against the Consensus Approach to History," 25 Jan. 2021 Thank goodness for Thom Yorke’s gorgeous guide to psychological dissociation. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "De-stress With an Election-Anxiety Playlist," 23 Oct. 2020 At 29 years old, Selby, experienced intense dissociation and post-traumatic stress disorder and lost their entire sense of self. — Starre Vartan, CNN, "Post-traumatic growth: With support, some traumas can help us grow," 30 Aug. 2020 Closing in on a decade of dissociation from the University of Southern California, former Trojans running back Reggie Bush now has a clearer path to reuniting with the program that thrust him into superstardom. — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "USC to end dissociation with Reggie Bush, paving way for reunion," 11 June 2020

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

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Dictionary Entries near dissociation

dissociative identity disorder

dissoconch

dissogeny

Statistics for dissociation

Last Updated

29 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Dissociation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissociation. Accessed 8 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for dissociation

dissociation

noun

dis·so·ci·a·tion | \ (ˌ)dis-ˌō-sē-ˈā-shən

, -shē-

Medical Definition of dissociation

1 : the act or process of dissociating : the state of being dissociated: as

a : the process by which a chemical combination breaks up into simpler constituents especially : one that results from the action of energy (as heat) on a gas or of a solvent on a dissolved substance

b : the separation of whole segments of the personality (as in multiple personality disorder) or of discrete mental processes (as in the schizophrenias) from the mainstream of consciousness or of behavior with loss of integrated awareness and autonomous functioning of the separated segments or parts

2 : the process by which some biological stocks (as of certain bacteria) differentiate into two or more distinct and relatively permanent strains also : such a strain

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