1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

dissociating

verb

present participle of dissociate
as in separating
to set or force apart attempts to dissociate herself from her troubled past

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dissociating There was crying, complaining, dissociating and even laughing on those couches. — Wendy C. Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissociating
  1. separating
  2. dividing
  3. splitting
  4. disconnecting
  5. severing
Verb
  • Paul Turner of Birmingham is separating himself from all City Section receivers with his big-play catching ability.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • France is a traditionally Catholic country, but adheres to a strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of separating
Verb
  • Yet, even presuming that the government could beat back Native powers, intelligently dividing that unseen area into plots would require understanding its geography, soil, and waterways.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • But for now the war rages on, dividing some communities in Ukraine through Russian propaganda videos.
    — Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of dividing
Verb
  • The rising sea and crashing waves have pushed the shoreline landward, splitting the city's picturesque North Beach.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The Packers are playing their home opener after splitting their first two games on the road.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of splitting
Verb
  • The sole survivor disables HAL by disconnecting the power source.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
  • These quiet, mindful activities are all about disconnecting, recharging, and flexing your creative muscles, often while working with your hands.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of disconnecting
Verb
  • The controversial procedure, which involved severing nerve pathways in the brain’s frontal lobes to treat severe mental illnesses, had been developed by Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz in 1935.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Cutting the servers’ power or severing their network connection may be enough.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of severing

Browse Nearby Words

dissociates
dissociating
dissociation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dissociating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissociating. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All