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

Because of this, only two of the three acid groups in the citric acid dissociate.

From Science Daily

"You have to dissociate yourself. More or less, you are robotic. This is the way you have to behave, but inside, you are deeply injured. You are seeing the nation injured."

From BBC

I experimented with them as a teen; they made me self-destructive and dissociated.

From Los Angeles Times

She has no trouble watching the finished product though — she can even dissociate and just watch it as a film.

From Seattle Times

You have to have to dissociate yourself from the character, but you also have to dissociate yourself from your work.

From Salon

Related Words

• alienate
• detach
• disband
• disconnect
• disengage