dissociate

dissociate

 
verb|dih-SOH-shee-ayt
 
What It Means
 
To dissociate is to separate oneself from association or union with someone or something; in contexts relating to psychology, it has to do specifically with mentally detaching from one's physical or emotional experiences. In chemistry, dissociate means "to separate a chemical compound into its constituent parts especially through the application of heat or a solvent."
 
// The director has tried to dissociate herself from her earlier films.

Est. 1828

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dissociate
verb
dis·;so·;ci·;ate (;)di-;s;-sh;-;;t  -s;-
dissociated; dissociating
Synonyms of dissociate
transitive verb

1
: to separate from association or union with another
attempts to dissociate herself from her past
2
: disunite
specifically : to subject to chemical dissociation
intransitive verb

1
: to undergo dissociation
2
: to mutate especially reversibly


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.

Synonyms
divide
separate
split
disconnect
disassociate
sever
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our book, The Price of Our Values: The Economic Limits of Moral Life argues that our moral decisions cannot be dissociated from economic considerations.
—Hec Paris Insights, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The servings come from the ether, a bottomless well of mushy, purposeless, dissociated slop.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 19 May 2025
These behaviors have become dissociated from the gonads.
—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

Word History
Etymology
Latin dissociatus, past participle of dissociare, from dis- + sociare to join, from socius companion — more at social

First Known Use
1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dissociate was in 1582
See more words from the same year
Browse Nearby Words
dissocial
dissociate
dissociation
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“Dissociate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissociate. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.

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Kids Definition
dissociate

verb
dis·;so·;ci·;ate (;)dis-;;-s;-;;t  -sh;-
dissociated; dissociating
1
: to separate from association or union with another
2
: divide entry 1 sense 1

Medical Definition
dissociate

verb
dis·;so·;ci·;ate (;)dis-;;-s(h);-;;t
dissociated; dissociating
transitive verb

: to subject to chemical dissociation
intransitive verb

1
: to undergo dissociation
2
: to mutate especially reversibly
More from Merriam-Webster on dissociate
Nglish: Translation of dissociate for Spanish Speakers