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Synonyms

disengagement

American  
[dis-en-geyj-muhnt] / ˌdɪs ɛnˈgeɪdʒ mənt /

noun

  1. the act or process of disengaging or the state of being disengaged.

  2. freedom from obligation or occupation; leisure.

  3. Obstetrics. (during childbirth) the emergence of the head or the presenting part of the fetus from the vulva.

Etymology

Origin of disengagement

First recorded in 1640–50; disengage + -ment

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.

He shot the new movie on an iPhone, for one thing, even as he questions the smartphone’s contribution to our easy disengagement with the world’s ills.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"The risk is that this third consecutive failure to qualify will deepen young people's disengagement from the Azzurri," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

It comes off loud, blustery, and overconfident, as if to signal a blasé disengagement with the incredible stakes of the moment.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026

“Refiners are technically capable of operating without Urals, but a rapid disengagement would be commercially challenging and politically sensitive,” according to an analysis from Kpler, a ship-tracking data provider.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

I have, therefore, instructed an orderly disengagement of troops.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.