Standard Lemma guide

dissociate

verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˈsəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
  • UK: /-si-/
  • US: /dɪˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
  • US: /-si-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S OW1 S IY0 EY0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To cease associating; To part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • After the big fight, the gang totally dissociated from each other.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: associate

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cease associating; To part.

To undergo dissociation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences

Examples

  • Gerald checked himself into the hospital because he was dissociating.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: associate

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cease associating with; to make unrelated; to sever a connection; to separate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • A number of group members wish to dissociate themselves from the majority.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: associate

4

verb

Meaning 4

To cease associating with; to make unrelated; to sever a connection; to separate.

To separate compounds into simpler component parts, usually by applying heat or through electrolysis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • We dissociated the lead iodide into its elements by heating

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: associate

5

verb

Meaning 5

to undergo a reversible or temporary breakdown of a molecule into simpler molecules or atoms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • acids dissociate to give hydrogen ions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: decompose, break up, break down

6

verb

Meaning 6

regard as unconnected

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • you must dissociate these two events!
  • decouple our foreign policy from ideology

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decouple

Antonyms: associate

Broader terms: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart

7

verb

Meaning 7

part; cease or break association with

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She disassociated herself from the organization when she found out the identity of the president

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disassociate, divorce, disunite, disjoint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: separate, part, split up, split, break, break up

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Proto-Indo-European *sekw- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *sokwéh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy Proto-Indo-European *sokwh2ṓy Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Indo-European *sokwyós Proto-Italic *sokjos Latin sokios Latin socius Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin sociō Latin dissociō ▲ Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English dissociate From Latin dissociō + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dis- (“apart”) + sociō (“join”), from socius (“related, leagued”).

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: отделям се (otdeljam se) — to cease associating
  • Bulgarian: откъсвам се (otkǎsvam se) — to cease associating
  • Catalan: dissociar — to cease associating
  • Dutch: zich scheiden — to cease associating
  • Dutch: zich distantiëren — to cease associating
  • Finnish: erota — to cease associating
  • Finnish: erottautua — to cease associating
  • Galician: distanciarse — to cease associating
  • Galician: afastarse — to cease associating
  • German: sich distanzieren — to cease associating
  • German: zurückziehen — to cease associating
  • German: abgrenzen — to cease associating
  • Portuguese: distanciar-se — to cease associating
  • Portuguese: afastar-se — to cease associating
  • Spanish: distanciarse — to cease associating
  • Spanish: desmarcarse — to cease associating
  • Bulgarian: разделям (razdeljam) — to cease associating with
  • Bulgarian: разединявам (razedinjavam) — to cease associating with
  • Catalan: dissociar — to cease associating with
  • Dutch: scheiden — to cease associating with
  • Dutch: afscheiden — to cease associating with
  • Finnish: erottaa — to cease associating with
  • French: dissocier — to cease associating with
  • Galician: disociar — to cease associating with
  • German: separieren — to cease associating with
  • German: lösen — to cease associating with
  • Indonesian: memisahkan diri — to cease associating with
  • Indonesian: mendisosiasikan — to cease associating with
  • Polish: odciąć — to cease associating with
  • Polish: rozdzielić — to cease associating with
  • Portuguese: dissociar — to cease associating with
  • Spanish: disociar — to cease associating with
  • Tagalog: ihiwalay — to cease associating with
  • Bulgarian: разлагам (razlagam) — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Catalan: dissociar — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Dutch: scheiden — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Finnish: hajottaa — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Galician: disociar — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • German: aufspalten — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • German: dissoziieren — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Irish: díthiomsaigh — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Portuguese: dissociar — chemistry: to separate compounds into simpler parts
  • Bulgarian: дисоциирам (disociiram) — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Catalan: dissociar — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Dutch: zich scheiden — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Dutch: dissociëren — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Finnish: hajota — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Galician: disociar — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • German: abspalten — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • German: scheiden — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • German: dissoziieren — chemistry: to undergo dissociation
  • Irish: díthiomsaigh — chemistry: to undergo dissociation