dissociate
10 synonyms and 4 antonyms for dissociate, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — In psychology, to become mentally detached from your thoughts, feelings, body or surroundings, so that experience feels unreal or distant. It often happens under stress or trauma.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
In psychology, to become mentally detached from your thoughts, feelings, body or surroundings, so that experience feels unreal or distant. It often happens under stress or trauma.
“She dissociates when the arguments start and can't recall what was said.”
2. verb
To separate yourself from a person, group or idea, especially publicly, so as not to be associated with them.
“The party moved quickly to dissociate itself from the remarks.”
Opposites
How to use dissociate
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral; the psychological sense has moved from clinical into everyday speech.
Etymology
From Latin dissociare 'to separate', from dis- 'apart' plus sociare 'to join', from socius 'companion'.
Full origin of dissociate →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dissociate and disassociate?
They mean the same thing and both are accepted, but dissociate is the older, shorter and preferred form in careful writing, and it is the only one used in psychology and chemistry. Disassociate turns up mainly in the 'distance yourself' sense.
What does dissociating feel like?
People describe it as feeling foggy, numb, or as though they are watching themselves from outside, with time and surroundings seeming unreal. Brief episodes are common under stress; frequent or prolonged dissociation is worth raising with a clinician.