disassociate
Americanverb (used with object)
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disassociates,
present (3rd person singular)
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disassociated,
past participle, past
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disassociating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disassociatesimple
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disassociatessimple
-
have disassociatedperfect
-
has disassociatedperfect
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am disassociatingprogressive
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are disassociatingprogressive
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is disassociatingprogressive
-
have been disassociatingperfect progressive
-
has been disassociatingperfect progressive
Past
-
disassociatedsimple
-
had disassociatedperfect
-
was disassociatingprogressive
-
were disassociatingprogressive
-
had been disassociatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disassociate
Explanation
It’s often said that we are the company we keep, so it makes sense to disassociate — or distance ourselves — from people whose behaviors and beliefs we do not wish to be connected to. To disassociate means to separate yourself from a person, group, or idea. For example, if you end a friendship with your long-time buddies because you value honesty and they do not, you are disassociating from them. This term often indicates an intentional effort to distance oneself from certain people, organizations, beliefs, or behaviors that are no longer acceptable to you so that you are no longer associated with them.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I had to disassociate to get through it, because if I really allowed myself to fully take it in, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get through the song.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
In trying to disassociate herself from the scandal, Melania’s lack of acknowledgment of her husband’s ties to Epstein stands out as a confusing, but increasingly familiar, bit of cognitive dissonance.
From Slate ● Apr. 10, 2026
The victim told the BBC: "It makes me feel sick - I've tried to disassociate myself from it but whoever has done that has won, they have that of me now."
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
Another police officer, Richard Scott, who helped gather the bodies of those killed, told the inquiry he binned his blood-soaked clothing after his shift to try to "disassociate from the scene".
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2025
She learned very early on to disassociate herself, to lock out the emotions.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
"The production disassociates you with much of the feeling and heft of live performance."
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Notably, reformist President Mohammad Khatami’s foreign minister in 1998 said that the “government disassociates itself from any reward which has been offered in this regard and does not support it.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 13, 2022
If there’s a central theme to the collection, it’s that illness disassociates us from ourselves, even if we survive it.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2021
He added, “On a general level, Cryos disassociates itself from any form of serial sperm donation due to the importance of not exceeding national pregnancy quotas” in each country to which they send sperm.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2021
True, he disassociates it from morality, yet admits that it may in a measure be associated with it.
From Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic by Benedetto Croce
"It has truly disassociated us from the impact of our words."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025
Critics have accused the family of using its philanthropy to whitewash its business practices, and museums such as the Louvre in Paris and the National Portrait Gallery in London have disassociated themselves from the family.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 22, 2024
“But sometimes I feel disassociated from the extreme left.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
It’s a psychological crisis, as Tyler Joseph sings about feeling dazed and disassociated, unable to speak but desperate for connection: “Pardon my delay — I’m navigating my head” is his closest explanation.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2024
He felt curiously disassociated from all that he had heard.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Delevingne has previously spoken about struggling with depression and how she became "very good at disassociating from emotion completely".
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
“I would say that just because you're disassociating from politics doesn't mean it is disassociating from you. And at the end of the day, politics do matter.”
From Salon ● Dec. 29, 2024
What quickly becomes apparent is that they are lying to themselves and each other — coping, disassociating, self-soothing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
They can wield their power by disassociating with objectionable partners.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2022
The prosecution and about half of the friends of the court hastily left by a side door, probably to issue statements disassociating themselves from the deceased Maverick.
From Lone Star Planet by H. Beam Piper
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
