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disassociate

/ˌˈdɪsəˌsoʊʃiˈeɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: disassociated; disassociating; disassociates

It’s often said that we are the company we keep, so it makes sense to disassociate — or distance ourselves — from people whose behaviors and beliefs we do not wish to be connected to.

To disassociate means to separate yourself from a person, group, or idea. For example, if you end a friendship with your long-time buddies because you value honesty and they do not, you are disassociating from them. This term often indicates an intentional effort to distance oneself from certain people, organizations, beliefs, or behaviors that are no longer acceptable to you so that you are no longer associated with them.

Definitions of disassociate
  1. verb
    break away from; stop having a relationship with
    “She disassociated herself from the organization when she found out the identity of the president”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    break, break up, part, separate, split, split up
    discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
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