DISSIPATE Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'dissipate' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dissipate are dispel , disperse , and scatter . While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance. // the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

Q: When could 'dispel' be used to replace 'dissipate'?

In some situations, the words dispel and dissipate are roughly equivalent. However, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering. // an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

Q: When might 'disperse' be a better fit than 'dissipate'?

The synonyms disperse and dissipate are sometimes interchangeable, but disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group. // police dispersed the crowd

Q: When can 'scatter' be used instead of 'dissipate'?

While the synonyms scatter and dissipate are close in meaning, scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions. // the bowling ball scattered the pins

dissipate 1 of 2

verb

ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt

Definition of dissipate

as in to disperse

to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart dissipated the enemy forces with unremitting artillery fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to use up carelessly dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to disappear

to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole the fog should dissipate once the sun comes out in full force

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dissipate

2 of 2

noun

as in waster

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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How does the verb dissipate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dissipate are dispel, disperse, and scatter. While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

When could dispel be used to replace dissipate?

In some situations, the words dispel and dissipate are roughly equivalent. However, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

When might disperse be a better fit than dissipate?

The synonyms disperse and dissipate are sometimes interchangeable, but disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

When can scatter be used instead of dissipate?

While the synonyms scatter and dissipate are close in meaning, scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dissipate

Verb

But for several minutes, perhaps up to a half-hour, the crowd only dissipates, not disappears. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 27 July 2026 By late that evening, the hurricane center declared Bertha had dissipated. — ABC News, 24 July 2026 The system then turned southeastward and southward before dissipating just west of northern Portugal on October 15. — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 The storm was forecast to reach the upper Texas coast today before dissipating inland by tomorrow. — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dissipate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissipate

Verb

For a community that is often global and dispersed rather than concentrated in one place, that structure fills a real gap.

— Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
In America, they are dispersed across basketball, football, baseball, wrestling and several other sports long before rugby enters the conversation.

— Daniel Gallan, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of disperse

Verb

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on bestseller lists and has been translated into 40 languages, and Smarter Faster Better, also a bestseller.

— Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
Syeda Sultana, chief operating officer at the digital marketing platform Vettted, spent a decade managing a global sustainability program.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

Blue morphos flashed their bright wings before disappearing among the plants, while guests gathered around the emergence chamber to look for new butterflies and moths drying their wings.

— Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Of course, there were doubts that Blagg was telling the truth about what happened the day his wife and daughter disappeared.

— Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of disappear

Noun

The form asks for the date and time of the watering, along with the waster’s address.

— Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
The state Department of Environmental Protection is responding and will assist in the safe disposal of waster materials generated during the cleanup Morrisey said.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 22 Apr. 2026

Definition of waster

Verb

As team president Mark Donovan put it on Wednesday while speaking at the opening of training camp at Missouri Western, the focus forward began almost instantly after the Chiefs lost their season finale to the Raiders in Las Vegas.

— Vahe Gregorian July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Lipow estimates the world has lost about 6 million to 7 million barrels of refining capacity per day, making existing refineries even more profitable.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Definition of lose

Verb

However, that resolution didn’t immediately dissolve all tensions, as Matt Cameron had noted in the months following that the band’s dispute with Cornell’s estate was still ongoing.

— Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
The lawsuit seeks at least $150 million in damages and asks the court to cancel the agreement to dissolve the HFPA.

— Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 2026

Definition of dissolve

Noun

To be a valid spendthrift trust in Illinois, three factors must be met.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The split screen of Bezos and his spendthrift wife, Lauren Sánchez, frolicking everywhere — including Paris Fashion Week — while the tech mogul defiles the crown jewel nurtured by Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham is sickening.

— Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2026

Definition of spendthrift

Verb

In a year where everything Skubal does has been fair game for discussion and discord, the barbs surrounding the WBC still have not faded.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 July 2026
But our excitement fades as Nolan’s camera captures the men raping women, looting houses and reveling in the violence.

— Brent Lang, Variety, 21 July 2026

Definition of fade

Browse Nearby Words

dissing

dissipate

dissipated

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“Dissipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissipate. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dissipate

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noun

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