dissociate
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.
Psychiatry.
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.
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.
Chemistry.
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).
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.
to cause (the molecules of an electrolyte) to separate into their constituent atoms.
to end or break an association; disconnect or become disconnected: Users tend to dissociate from websites that require them to fill out a form.
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.
Chemistry.
(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.
(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.
(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.
Origin of dissociate
1- Also disassociate .
Other words from dissociate
- dis·so·ci·a·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dissociate in a sentence
A psychiatrist would later testify at the fitness hearing that it was most likely a “dissociative episode.”
‘Killer Nanny’ Case: What the Krims Didn’t Know About Yoselyn Ortega | Michael Daly | June 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAmong her specialties is helping patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Cody also invited actual sufferers of Dissociative Identity Disorder and doctors who treat the disease in to speak to the staff.
British Dictionary definitions for dissociate
/ (dɪˈsəʊʃɪˌeɪt, -sɪ-) /
to break or cause to break the association between (people, organizations, etc)
(tr) to regard or treat as separate or unconnected
to undergo or subject to dissociation
Derived forms of dissociate
- dissociative, adjective
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
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