A plastic bag can take up to a thousand years to disintegrate.
Source: tatoeba (3093919)
Disintegrate
Synonyms for "disintegrate" (274 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (55)
Strong matches (82)
Verb(13 words)
Noun(13 words)
crushcut downcut to piecesdeactivatedeal a deathblowdebriefdecaydeclinedecomposedegeneratedeliquescedemobdemobilizedemolishdescenddetachdisassembledisbanddischargedisimprove
Adjective(3 words)
Related words (137)
get loosegive awaygive outgive the quietusgive waygogo badgo downhillgo separate waysgo softgo to piecesgraingranulategranulizegrategrindgrind to powdergun downhit the skidsincinerate
Show 104 more words
jugulatelanguishlapidatelay lowlet golevigatemake mincemeat ofmashmildewmillmoldmoldermortifymouldmouldermouldymuster outnecrosepartpart companypeel offpeg outperishpestlepeter outpick to piecespiecepinepistolpoleaxpoop outpoundpowderpull in piecespull to piecespulverizeputrefyputresceranklereduce to powderreduce to rubblereleaserendretrograderiddlerotrupturescatterscrunchseparateshardshattershivershootshoot downshoot to deathshotgunshredsilencesinkslackensmashsnapsphacelatesplintersplitsplit upspoilspring a leakspring apartsquashstab to deathstartstonestone to deathstrike deadsundersuppuratetainttake aparttear aparttear to piecestear to shredstear to tatterstoppletotaltrituratetumbleturnunbuildundounmakeunraveluntunevaporizewaste awayweakenwear awaywear thinwiltworsenwrack upwreckyield
Noun(5 words)
Adjective(1 words)
rapid societal collapse
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: decay, decompose, ablate, abrade, annihilate.
- Sentence evidence is available for disintegrate, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "disintegrate".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "disintegrate"
Keep "disintegrate" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "disintegrate" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "disintegrate", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "disintegrate" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entrieschemical disintegrationcomplete disintegrationgradual disintegrationrapid disintegrationstructural disintegrationtotal disintegration
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
62 translations across 25 languages.
Azerbaijani
1 entries- dağılmaq verb (break up into one's parts)
Bulgarian
3 entries- разлагам verb (cause to break into parts)
- разлагам се verb (break up into one's parts)
- разпадам се verb (break up into one's parts)
Catalan
2 entries- desintegrar verb (cause to break into parts)
- desintegrar-se verb (break up into one's parts)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 分崩離析 /分崩离析 verb (cause to break into parts)
- 分崩離析 /分崩离析 verb (break up into one's parts)
- 崩潰 /崩溃 verb (cause to break into parts)
- 崩潰 /崩溃 verb (break up into one's parts)
Danish
2 entries- desintegrere verb (break up into one's parts)
- opløse verb (break up into one's parts)
Dutch
4 entries- desintegreren verb (cause to break into parts)
- desintegreren verb (break up into one's parts)
- ontbinden verb (cause to break into parts)
- opbreken verb (cause to break into parts)
Finnish
2 entries- hajota verb (break up into one's parts)
- hajottaa verb (cause to break into parts)
French
1 entries- désintégrer verb (cause to break into parts)
Georgian
4 entries- დანგრევა verb (cause to break into parts)
- დაქუცმაცება verb (cause to break into parts)
- დაშლა verb (cause to break into parts)
- დეზინტეგრაცია verb (cause to break into parts)
German
4 entries- auflösen verb (cause to break into parts)
- desintegrieren verb (cause to break into parts)
- sich auflösen verb (break up into one's parts)
- zerfallen verb (break up into one's parts)
Hungarian
1 entries- szétesik verb (break up into one's parts)
Irish
1 entries- díscaoil verb (break up into one's parts)
Italian
2 entries- disintegrare verb (cause to break into parts)
- disintegrarsi verb (break up into one's parts)
Lithuanian
1 entries- suskaidymas verb (break up into one's parts)
Malay
2 entries- bersepai verb (break up into one's parts)
- menyepaikan verb (cause to break into parts)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- nedbryte verb (cause to break into parts)
Occitan
1 entries- desintegrar verb (cause to break into parts)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- پارچهلامق verb (cause to break into parts)
- پارچهلانمق verb (break up into one's parts)
Polish
2 entries- rozpadać się verb (break up into one's parts)
- rozpaść się verb (break up into one's parts)
Portuguese
2 entries- desintegrar verb (cause to break into parts)
- desintegrar verb (break up into one's parts)
Romanian
2 entries- dezagrega verb (cause to break into parts)
- dezintegra verb (cause to break into parts)
Russian
4 entries- разлага́ть verb (cause to break into parts)
- разлага́ться verb (break up into one's parts)
- разложи́ть verb (cause to break into parts)
- разложи́ться verb (break up into one's parts)
Slovene
1 entries- dezintegracija verb (break up into one's parts)
Spanish
3 entries- desintegrar verb (cause to break into parts)
- desintegrar verb (break up into one's parts)
- disgregar verb (cause to break into parts)
Swedish
1 entries- sönderfalla verb (break up into one's parts)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
The parish register is so old that if you touch the pages the paper will disintegrate.
Source: tatoeba (3152445)
Sami's dreams began to disintegrate.
Source: tatoeba (5913150)
Microplastics — the remnants of plastic bags, takeout containers and straws that almost-but-not-quite disintegrate in the oceans — are found in 3 out of 4 fish, such as squid, cuttlefish and swordfish in markets around the world.
Source: tatoeba (7011512)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "disintegrate"?
Closest matches include decay, decompose, ablate, abrade, annihilate.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "disintegrate"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.