dissociate
/dɪˈsəʊsieɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈsəʊsieɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)di-ˈsō-shē-ˌāt -sē-/ (ame, mw)
dissociate — verb
- dissociate,,present simple I / you / we / they
- dissociatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- dissociates,,he / she / it
- dissociateshe / she / it
- dissociated,,past simple
- dissociatedpast simple
- dissociating,,-ing form
- dissociating-ing form
1. to treat two people, ideas, or things as having no real link, so that one is not
to treat two people, ideas, or things as having no real link, so that one is not judged or affected by the other.
Lara tries to dissociate the artist's brilliant paintings from his cruel personal behavior.
dissociate X from Y for keeping two things mentally separate
It is hard to dissociate the smell of cinnamon from memories of grandma's kitchen at Christmas.
dummy 'it is hard to dissociate' — abstract object construction
Voters cannot dissociate the new tax policy from the prime minister who introduced it last year.
Reuben struggles to dissociate his love of football from the painful injury that ended his playing career.
Critics rarely dissociate a film's quality from the reputation of its director.
- separate
everyday word; 'dissociate' is more formal and abstract
- disconnect
physical or logical separation; 'dissociate' is usually mental or evaluative
- distinguish
tell two things apart; 'dissociate' means actively refuse to link them
文法句型
dissociate + somebody/something + from + somebody/something
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person doing the mental work of separation; object pair is linked by 'from'. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about how you think; sense 3 is about a public statement to deny support.
常見錯誤
2. to mentally cut yourself off from your feelings, surroundings, or sense of reali
to mentally cut yourself off from your feelings, surroundings, or sense of reality, often as a way to cope with something painful.
After the car crash, Sahil began to dissociate whenever he heard loud traffic noises.
trauma trigger context — the classic psychology sense
Patients with severe trauma often dissociate from their own bodies during a flashback.
plural subject; collocation 'dissociate from one's body'
Hana learned to dissociate during long hospital treatments so the needle would not feel so frightening.
The young soldier started to dissociate every time the loud helicopters flew over the camp.
- engage
fully participate in surroundings or feelings
文法句型
dissociate (oneself) from + experience/reality
用法筆記
Used in psychology and trauma contexts. Frequently appears without an object ('she started to dissociate'), unlike sense 1 which always takes 'X from Y'.
常見錯誤
3. to publicly state that you have no link with a person, group, or action, usually
to publicly state that you have no link with a person, group, or action, usually because you do not want to be blamed for them.
The mayor moved quickly to dissociate herself from the company involved in the bribery scandal.
always reflexive: 'dissociate oneself from X'
Ilan published a long letter to dissociate himself from his brother's online comments about the election.
collocation: published statement dissociating from someone
The university issued a press release to dissociate itself from the controversial speech given on campus.
Several team captains chose to dissociate themselves from the racist chants heard in the stadium.
Nia tried to dissociate herself from the protest after it turned violent in the city centre.
- disown
stronger; reject all connection, often family or earlier statements
- distance oneself
near-synonym; slightly softer and more common in news writing
- renounce
formally give up a claim or belief, not just a connection
文法句型
dissociate + oneself + from + person/action/group
用法筆記
Always reflexive (dissociate oneself / herself / itself / themselves from …) and usually appears in news or formal statements. Distinguish from sense 1: here the speaker is publicly denying connection, not just mentally separating two ideas.