Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
association (noun)1.
a) the act of - associating
b) the state of being - associated combination relationship
2.
an organization of persons having a common interest - society
3.
something linked in memory or imagination with a thing or person
4.
the process of forming mental connections or bonds between sensations, ideas, or memories
5.
the aggregation of chemical species to form (as with hydrogen bonds) loosely bound complexes
6.
a major unit in ecological community organization characterized by essential uniformity and usually by two or more dominant species
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
association (noun)1.
the state of having shared interests or efforts (as in social or business matters)
SYNONIMS:
affiliation, alliance, collaboration, confederation, connection, cooperation, hookup, liaison, linkup, partnership, relation, relationship, tie-up, unionRELATED WORDS:
business, dealings, interaction; exchange, interconnection, interrelation, mutualism, reciprocity, symbiosis; incorporation, integration, merger, unification; affinity, attachment, closeness, intimacy, rapport, sympathy; kinship, oneness, solidarity, togetherness, unity; colleagueship, companionship, company, fellowship; bed, cahoots, leagueNEAR ANTONYMS:
breakup, dissolution, disunion; division, parting, separation, severance, split; alienation, divorce, estrangement2.
a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest
SYNONIMS:
board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild ( gild), institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodalityRELATED WORDS:
collective, commune, community, cooperative; alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership; body, cadre, group; circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch ( klatsch), lot, set; crew, outfit, party, squad, team; branch, chapter, local; faithful, fold, membership; sisterhood, sorority; cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy; band, gang, ring; cartel, combine, syndicate3.
the fact or state of having something in common
SYNONIMS:
affinity, association, bearing, kinship, liaison, linkage, relation, relationshipRELATED WORDS:
correlation, interrelation; materiality, pertinence, relevance; bond, link, tie; affiliation, alliance, union; identicalness, sameness; alikeness, community, likeness, resemblance, similarity; accordance, agreement, conformity, congruity, correspondenceNEAR ANTONYMS:
variability, variance; incompatibility, incongruence, incongruity, incongruousness