dissociate

[ dih-soh-shee-eyt, -see- ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·so·ci·at·ed, dis·so·ci·at·ing.

1. to break the association of; separate:

   The organization issued a statement dissociating itself from the violent protests.

   It’s difficult for me to dissociate cranberries from Thanksgiving.

2. Psychiatry.
   1. to cause (certain mental processes or parts of the personality) to become separated from the main part of a person's consciousness as a result of trauma or mental illness:

      To avoid fear or pain, the victim may dissociate the memory of the place, circumstances, or feelings related to the incident.

   2. to cause (a person) to undergo this kind of internal split:

      He may be so dissociated from his feelings that he can’t rely on them as a clue to whom to trust.

3. Chemistry.
   1. to cause (a complex substance) to resolve or decompose into its simpler constituents as a result of a change in physical conditions:

      UV radiation dissociates NO2 into NO (nitrogen monoxide) and O (atomic oxygen).

   2. to cause (a constituent of a complex substance) to separate from others in this way:

      Within hours, the oxygen became dissociated from the hemoglobin of the blood clot.

   3. to cause (the molecules of an electrolyte) to separate into their constituent atoms.

verb (used without object)

, dis·so·ci·at·ed, dis·so·ci·at·ing.

1. to end or break an association; disconnect or become disconnected:

   Users tend to dissociate from websites that require them to fill out a form.

2. Psychiatry. to undergo the splitting off of certain mental processes from the main part of one’s consciousness as a result of trauma or mental illness:

   As a child she learned to dissociate from the pain of abandonment.

3. Chemistry.
   1. (of a complex substance) to resolve or decompose reversibly into its simpler constituents as a result of a change in physical conditions:

      Under great heat, water dissociates into hydrogen and oxygen.

   2. (of a constituent) to become separated from the other constituents of a complex substance in this way:

      At this point in the process, subunits of the protein dissociate from each other and from the receptor.

   3. (of the molecules of an electrolyte) to separate into their constituent atoms:

      Strong electrolytes dissociate completely, leaving only individual ions in the solution with virtually no intact molecules.

dissociate

/ dɪˈsəʊʃɪˌeɪt; -sɪ- /

verb

1. to break or cause to break the association between (people, organizations, etc)
2. tr to regard or treat as separate or unconnected
3. to undergo or subject to dissociation

Derived Forms

• disˈsociative, adjective

Other Words From

• dis·so·ci·a·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dissociate¹

First recorded in 1605–15; dis- ¹ + (as)sociate, modeled on Latin dissociātus “divided,” past participle of dissociāre “to divide, sever”

Example Sentences

Somewhere in his past, Elliot had been hurt so badly that he dissociated into a version of himself who cared for everybody by ceasing to care about himself.

From Vox

In order for Morgan’s ideas to be considered plausible, they had to be stripped of her sharp feminist wit, dissociated from Morgan herself, and repackaged as legitimate science.

From Nautilus

Hatcher was dissociating, on the verge of tears, and he had no idea what he was doing.

From Outside Online

A separate study last week showed that it’s possible to grow a mouse fetus through half of its gestation in an artificial womb—a record for mammals, and one that further dissociates reproduction from the age-old “sperm meets egg” story.

From Singularity Hub 

In most water loss models that assume atmospheric loss, the idea has been that UV radiation causes water high in the air to dissociate into hydrogen and oxygen.

From MIT Technology Review

He could mimic printed text with alarming accuracy and dissociate the shapes and lines from their inherent meanings.

From The Daily Beast

It is difficult to dissociate the materials upon nationalities from those upon nations.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor can we dissociate health conservation from the other aspects of the movement, even if we would.

From Project Gutenberg

You cannot dissociate yourselves from the labouring masses, and in particular from the women and girls of England.

From Project Gutenberg

He could not dissociate anything that this woman said or did or wore from an idea of spiritual rarity and virtue.

From Project Gutenberg

It is not everybody, however, who can thus dissociate himself.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alienate
• detach
• disband
• disconnect
• disengage