associates
Links or companions
Associates are people connected by work, business, or shared activity—colleagues rather than close friends.
The word suggests professional distance: business associates, known associates of the suspect.
As a verb, to associate is to connect mentally or socially: I associate that smell with my grandmother's kitchen.
To associate with someone is to spend time with them, often with implications about character: You shouldn't associate with those people.
Associate as an adjective indicates a junior or partial status: associate professor, associate member.
People at same job
- peersThose of equal status
- workmatesFellow employees
- staffOrganization's workers collectively
- employeesPaid staff members
subordinates · superiors · managers · executives · personnel · department · assistants · interns
Those who accompany
- buddiesInformal term for friends
- palsInformal term for companions
- chumsClose companions
- acquaintancesPeople known slightly
confidants · sidekicks · cronies · playmates · comrades · mates · amigos · familiars
Allies in wrongdoing
- accomplicesPartners in crime
- collaboratorsPeople who work jointly
- coconspiratorsJoint participants in conspiracy
- cohortsGroups of accomplices
sympathizers · supporters · backers · advocates · abettors · co-defendants · conspirators · insiders
Married partner
boyfriend · girlfriend · lover · soulmate · sweetheart · paramour · consort · cohabitant
Solid or resolute
- corporationLegally separate business entity
- enterpriseCommercial undertaking or initiative
- consultancyBusiness providing expert advice
- agencyPower to act
partnership · syndicate · conglomerate · subsidiary · affiliate · franchise · division · holding
coworkers
People at same job
employees · subordinates · superiors · managers · executives · personnel · department · assistants · interns · supervisors
companions
Those who accompany
acquaintances · confidants · sidekicks · cronies · playmates · comrades · mates · amigos · familiars · intimates
confederates
Allies in wrongdoing
- accomplicesPartners in crime
- collaboratorsPeople who work jointly
- coconspiratorsJoint participants in conspiracy
cohorts · sympathizers · supporters · backers · advocates · abettors · co-defendants · conspirators · insiders · operatives
spouse
Married partner
fiancée · boyfriend · girlfriend · lover · soulmate · sweetheart · paramour · consort · cohabitant · companion
firm
Solid or resolute
- corporationLegally separate business entity
- enterpriseCommercial undertaking or initiative
- consultancyBusiness providing expert advice
agency · partnership · syndicate · conglomerate · subsidiary · affiliate · franchise · division · holding · venture
- workersworkers, employee, employees, laborer, laborers
- partnerspartners, partner, business partners, business partner, life partner
- groupsteam, teams, group, club, clubs
- contactsfriend, family, contact list, neighbor, acquaintances
- course of studymajor, minor, degree, diploma, certificate
- personnelemployee, worker, team member, managers, supervisors
associatesstrangers
People unknown to you
outsiders · enemies · rivals · competitors · adversaries
associatesdissociates
Mentally separates or disconnects
disassociates · separates · disconnects · detaches · severs
- freedom of associationRight to join groups
- word associationLinking concepts spontaneously
- homeowners associationResidential community management organization
- professional associationsGroups organized by occupation
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- community associationsOrganizations managing shared property
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