dissipate

[dis-uh-peyt]

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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.

Origin of dissipate

1525–35; < Latin dissipātus (past participle of dissipāre, dissupāre to scatter); see -ate¹

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

Synonyms for dissipate

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1. See scatter. 3. disappear, vanish.

Antonyms for dissipate

1, 3. unite.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dissipative

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

Examples from the Web for dissipative

Historical Examples of dissipative

Modest and brave men have looked on low-bosomed women in the glitter of dissipative lights with the same feeling.
The Bishop of Cottontown
John Trotwood Moore
In practice the vibrations of a system are more or less affected by dissipative forces.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dissipative

dissipate

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

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.