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dissipate

[ dis-uh-peyt ]
/ ˈdɪs əˌpeɪt /
||
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verb (used with object), dis·si·pat·ed, dis·si·pat·ing.

to scatter in various directions; disperse; dispel.
to spend or use wastefully or extravagantly; squander; deplete: to dissipate one's talents; to dissipate a fortune on high living.

verb (used without object), dis·si·pat·ed, dis·si·pat·ing.

to become scattered or dispersed; be dispelled; disintegrate: The sun shone and the mist dissipated.
to indulge in extravagant, intemperate, or dissolute pleasure.

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RELATED WORDS

lavish, careless, extravagant, destructive, reckless, profligate, cavalier, immoderate, improvident, incontinent, liberal, overdone, prodigal, profuse, ruinous, spendthrift, wanton, wild, unthrifty, overgenerous

Nearby words

  1. dissimilation,
  2. dissimilatory,
  3. dissimilitude,
  4. dissimulate,
  5. dissimulation,
  6. dissipated,
  7. dissipation,
  8. dissipation trail,
  9. dissipative system,
  10. dissociable

Origin of dissipate

1525–35; < Latin dissipātus (past participle of dissipāre, dissupāre to scatter); see -ate1
SYNONYMS FOR dissipate
1. See scatter. 3. disappear, vanish.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dissipate ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR dissipate
1, 3. unite.
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Related formsdis·si·pat·er, dis·si·pa·tor, noundis·si·pa·tive, adjectivedis·si·pa·tiv·i·ty [dis-uh-puh-tiv-i-tee] /ˌdɪs ə pəˈtɪv ɪ ti/, nounnon·dis·si·pa·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dissipative

British Dictionary definitions for dissipative

dissipate

/ (ˈdɪsɪˌpeɪt) /

verb

to exhaust or be exhausted by dispersion
(tr) to scatter or break up
(intr) to indulge in the pursuit of pleasure
Derived Formsdissipater or dissipator, noundissipative, adjective

Word Origin for dissipate

C15: from Latin dissipāre to disperse, from dis- 1 + supāre to throw
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for dissipative

dissipate

v.

early 15c., from Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare "to spread abroad, scatter, disperse; squander, disintegrate," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + supare "to throw, scatter," from PIE *swep- "to throw, sling, cast" (cf. Lithuanian supu "to swing, rock," Old Church Slavonic supo "to strew"). Related: Dissipated; dissipates; dissipating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper