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
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has disassociatedperfect
-
am disassociatingprogressive
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are disassociatingprogressive
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is disassociatingprogressive
-
have been disassociatingperfect progressive
-
has been disassociatingperfect progressive
Past
-
disassociatedsimple
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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:
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
And fair enough if someone wanted to look at the work, but I could not disassociate him naming from his work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
The court heard that in her police interviews Sharkey said she had tried to "disassociate" from and ignore her pregnancy until she went into labour.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025
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
The boys from the neighboring room flinched and took a quick step backward, trying to disassociate themselves.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
"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
Such a temper as this naturally disassociates them from reality and makes them contemptuous of contradictory experiences.
From Modern Religious Cults and Movements by Gaius Glenn Atkins
She said: "He was much calmer. He was zoned out. I would say he disassociated."
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
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
Because if I were in your situation, I probably would have disassociated.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 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
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
Then a disassociating Navarro tells Danvers she can see Holden.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2024
They can wield their power by disassociating with objectionable partners.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2022
"This girl she come to the drawbridge and hollered—that's all I know!" said the sentry, disassociating himself from any trouble as completely as possible.
From The Suprising Adventures of Sir Toady Lion With Those of General Napoleon Smith by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
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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.
