Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense dissociates, present participle dissociating, past tense, past participle dissociated
1. verb
If you dissociateyourself from something or someone, you say or show that you are not connected with them, usually in order to avoid trouble or blame.
It is getting harder for the president to dissociate himself from the scandal. [V pron-refl + from]
2. verb
If you dissociate one thing from another, you consider the two things as separate from each other, or you separate them.
[formal]
Almost the first lesson they learn is how to dissociate emotion from reason. [VERB noun + from]
Synonyms: separate, distance, divorce, isolate More Synonyms of dissociate
dissociation (dɪsoʊsieɪʃən)uncountable noun
The war between the sexes should not result in their complete dissociation from oneanother. [+ from]
Synonyms: separation, break, division, distancing More Synonyms of dissociate
More Synonyms of dissociate
dissociate in British English
(dɪˈsəʊʃɪˌeɪt, -sɪ-)
verb
1.
to break or cause to break the association between (people, organizations, etc)
2. (transitive)
to regard or treat as separate or unconnected
3.
to undergo or subject to dissociation
Derived forms
dissociative (disˈsociative)
adjective
dissociate in American English
(dɪˈsoʊʃiˌeɪt; also, dɪˈsoʊsiˌeɪt)
verb transitiveWord forms: disˈsociˌated or disˈsociˌating
1.
to break the ties or connection between; sever association with; separate; disunite
2.
to cause to undergo dissociation
verb intransitive
3.
to part company; stop associating
4.
to undergo dissociation
Idioms:
dissociate oneself from
Word origin
< L dissociatus, pp. of dissociare < dis-, apart + sociare, to join < socius, companion: see social
Examples of 'dissociate' in a sentence
dissociate
But the lessons of a lifetime now served for naught; he could not dissociate himself from Joanna's pain.
Penman, Sharon HERE BE DRAGONS (2002)
How could they dissociate what they were doing for a living from their own domestic lives?
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
MacNamee had not yet seen him and there was just time to dissociate himself from what the Government scientist was bound to despise.
McKewan, Ian THE INNOCENT (2002)
In other languages
dissociate
British English: dissociate VERB
If you dissociate yourself from something or someone, you say or show that you are not connected with them, usually in order to avoid trouble or blame.
It is getting harder for the president to dissociate himself from the scandal.
American English: dissociate
Brazilian Portuguese: dissociar
Chinese: 使分离
European Spanish: disociar
French: dissocier
German: sich distanzieren
Italian: dissociare
Japanese: 関係を絶つ
Korean: ~와의 관계를 부인하다
European Portuguese: dissociar
Latin American Spanish: disociar
1 (verb)
Definition
to regard or treat as separate
how to dissociate emotion from reason
Synonyms
separate
What separates terrorism from other acts of violence?
distance
divorce
Most of our investors are able to divorce themselves from the emotional side of business.
isolate
This policy could isolate members from the UN security council.
detach
Detach the bottom part from the form and keep it for reference.
segregate
They segregate you from the rest of the party.
disconnect
He disconnected the bottle from the overhead hook.
set apart
2 (verb)
Synonyms
break away
quit
disrupt
break off
disband
The rebels have agreed to disband by the end of the month.
part company
phrasal verb
See dissociate yourself from something or someone
Additional synonyms
in the sense of detach
Definition
to disengage and separate
Detach the bottom part from the form and keep it for reference.
Synonyms
separate,
free,
remove,
divide,
isolate,
cut off,
sever,
loosen,
segregate,
disconnect,
tear off,
disengage,
disentangle,
unfasten,
disunite,
uncouple,
unhitch,
disjoin,
unbridle
in the sense of disband
Definition
to stop or cause to stop functioning as a unit or group
The rebels have agreed to disband by the end of the month.
Synonyms
break up,
separate,
scatter,
disperse,
part company,
go (their) separate ways
in the sense of disconnect
Definition
to undo or break the connection between (two things)
He disconnected the bottle from the overhead hook.