disengaged
- adjective
- /ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒd/
- Specialized
- The engineer confirmed that the gears were disengaged to prevent any accidental operation during maintenance.
Examples
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Before cleaning the machine, make sure it is disengaged from the power supply.
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Yet citizens appear to operate at a considerable distance from their representatives and appear disengaged from democratic processes.
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After the battle, the troops were disengaged from their positions to regroup and rest.
Synonyms
Not held in place and often feels unstable or uncertain
Something loose and not fixed to the thing it belongs to
Not fixed to anything so it can move freely
Not joined to something it was attached to before
Not connected or related to something else, like two separate events
Not connected to the parts that make a machine move
Separated so parts are not connected anymore
Not tied, closed, or attached
Not connected to another thing, like a beam or wire
Not attached or held in place so it can move
A joint forced apart so the bones are not in their normal place
How Connected
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Disengaged uses dis- 'not' with engage meaning 'to lock together or connect', a sense you still hear in the phrase 'engage the gears'. So when a machine is disengaged, its parts are 'not connected' or released.