Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The act of dissipating or the condition of having been dissipated.
- n. Wasteful expenditure or consumption.
- n. Dissolute indulgence in sensual pleasure; intemperance.
- n. An amusement; a diversion.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of dissipating, dispelling, or dispersing; the state of being dissipated; a passing or wasting away: as, the dissipation of vapor or heat; the dissipation of energy.
- n. The act of wasting by misuse; wasteful expenditure or loss: as, the dissipation of one's powers or means in unsuccessful efforts.
- n. Distraction of the mind and waste of its energy, as by diverse occupations or objects of attention; anything that distracts the mind or divides the attention.
- n. Undue indulgence in pleasure; specifically, the intemperate pursuit of enjoyment through excessive use of intoxicating drink, and its attendant vices.
Wiktionary
- n. The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.
- n. A dissolute course of life, in which health, money, etc, are squandered in pursuit of pleasure; profuseness in vicious indulgence, as late hours, riotous living, etc.; dissoluteness.
- n. A trifle which wastes time or distracts attention.
- n. A loss of energy as heat from a dynamic system
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.
- n. A dissolute course of life, in which health, money, etc., are squandered in pursuit of pleasure; profuseness in vicious indulgence, as late hours, riotous living, etc.; dissoluteness.
- n. A trifle which wastes time or distracts attention.
WordNet 3.0
- n. useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly
- n. dissolute indulgence in sensual pleasure
- n. breaking up and scattering by dispersion
Examples
“However, it has also been noted that elevated turbulent dissipation is by itself insufficient proof of substantial biogenic mixing, because much of the turbulent kinetic energy of small animals is injected below the Ozmidov buoyancy length scale, where it is primarily dissipated as heat by the fluid viscosity before it can affect ocean mixing2.”
“We argue that if innovation is both sequential and complementary--as it certainly has been in those industries--competition can increase firms' future profits thus offsetting short-term dissipation of rents.”
“Short of an extraordinarily rapid and highly undesirable short - term dissipation of unified surpluses or a transferring of assets to individual privatized accounts, it appears difficult to avoid at least some accumulation of private assets by the government.”
“While seeking happiness in dissipation, in all the vain things which belong to this life only, do you ever think of a time, which will surely come, when you shall say, "I can enjoy these things no more; I am about to lie down in the grave?”
“The round of fashionable dissipation is dangerous.”
The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton: A Novel Founded on Fact
““A single week’s thoughtlessness and dissipation is often sufficient to undo a poor workman forever,” wrote Smith about life in London.”
“The other aspect of our dissipation is the fruit of autonomism.”
“Whatever might be the faults of our hero, he was not given to what is generally called dissipation by the world at large — by which the world means self-indulgence.”
“With no particular purity of nature or principles of conduct to restrain him from vice, his dissipation could yet scarcely be called dissipation, so little did it wake up this lethargic, ailing, restless nature.”
“Among the companions of his dissipation was a young man whose abundant means filled him with admiration and envy; he lived like a prince and had not a single creditor.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘dissipation’.
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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Phrases from British novels, between the wars
lust legs and lip..., lawner, clettering, cletter, big business, pointless, feckless, aimless, graceless, something nasty i..., cold comfort, mollock and 61 more...
BrainyBabe A life monotonous even in its dissipations. -- ''Yashima, or, The Gorgeous West'' by R T Sherwood, 1931. Dec 23, 2008