dissociative
dissociative — adjective
- dissociativepositive
- more dissociativecomparative
- most dissociativesuperlative
1. relating to a mental health condition in which a person feels disconnected from
relating to a mental health condition in which a person feels disconnected from their own thoughts, memories, or sense of identity, often as if they are watching themselves from outside their body.
After the accident, Jin could not remember the crash — his doctor said it was dissociative amnesia.
predicative: dissociative + medical noun (amnesia)
Greta told her therapist that she sometimes has dissociative episodes during which nothing feels real.
collocation: dissociative + episode
The clinic provides support groups for people living with dissociative disorders.
During therapy, Mei described a dissociative state where she watched herself from above her chair.
Ava read about dissociative fugue in her psychology textbook and found the case studies fascinating.
- disconnected
less clinical; describes a general feeling of separation without a formal diagnosis
- detached
broader; can describe emotional distance that is not necessarily pathological
- grounded
feeling present and connected to one's body and surroundings
文法句型
dissociative + noun (amnesia, disorder, episode)
用法筆記
Frequently appears before medical nouns such as 'disorder', 'amnesia', 'episode', and 'fugue' in clinical contexts.
常見錯誤
2. describes a substance that causes users to feel detached from their surroundings
describes a substance that causes users to feel detached from their surroundings, their body, or their normal sensory experience, often producing a trance-like state.
Brandon warned his friends that the powder had strong dissociative properties.
collocation: dissociative + properties
Some dissociative drugs are used legally as anaesthetics in veterinary clinics.
The street substance produced a dissociative effect that lasted for several hours.
Yasmin tried a dissociative substance at a music festival and described the experience as deeply unsettling.
The anaesthetic's effect was strongly dissociative — Sven felt fully awake yet completely disconnected from his own body.
- hallucinogenic
describes drugs that cause hallucinations, which may or may not involve dissociation
- psychedelic
broader category including drugs that alter perception, not specifically detachment from reality
文法句型
dissociative + noun (drug, substance, effect, properties)
用法筆記
Typically used attributively before 'drug', 'substance', or 'effect'. Not used predicatively to describe a person's ordinary behaviour (e.g. 'He felt dissociative' is non-standard — use 'disconnected' or 'spaced out' instead).
常見錯誤
dissociative — noun
- dissociativesingular
- dissociativesplural
1. a substance, often used illegally, that causes people to feel separated from the
a substance, often used illegally, that causes people to feel separated from their normal sense of reality, their body, or their surroundings, sometimes producing a trance-like state.
The emergency room treated three teenagers who had taken a dissociative at a music festival.
collocation: take + a dissociative
Police found the man under the influence of a dissociative and unable to speak clearly.
Users of that dissociative reported feeling detached from their own limbs, as if the arms belonged to someone else.
Researchers are testing whether this dissociative can help treat people with severe depression.
Some users mix a dissociative with alcohol, which greatly increases the health risks.
- dissociative drug
fully explicit; more formal than the shortened noun form
- dissociative anaesthetic
specific subtype used in medical settings
文法句型
take + a dissociative
use + a dissociative
under the influence of + a dissociative
用法筆記
A countable noun — you can take 'a dissociative' or refer to 'dissociatives' as a class of drugs. Typically used in medical, legal, or drug-safety contexts.