Association vs. Union — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on August 19, 2023
Association typically refers to a group organized for a specific purpose or a connection between ideas. Union generally means the act of joining two or more things or an organized group of workers.
Difference Between Association and Union
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Association often denotes a group of people coming together based on shared interests or goals. On the other hand, union frequently signifies the merging or coming together of entities.
Association can also reference a connection or relationship between two or more ideas or things. Contrarily, union typically refers to the act or state of being combined into a single entity.
In some contexts, association is more about casual or non-binding affiliations. Union, in contrast, often has a sense of permanence or solidity.
Association can be flexible in its degree of formality. Some associations can be very informal, like a casual meet-up group, while others, like professional associations, have established rules and structures. Union tends to be more formalized, especially in contexts like trade unions, where there are often established hierarchies, rules, and bylaws.
Comparison Chart
Meaning
A group organized for a specific purpose or connection between ideas.
The act of joining things or an organized group of workers.
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Type of Bond
Can be informal or formal.
Usually more formal and structured.
Duration
Can be temporary or long-term.
Often implies a more permanent bond.
Context
Found in casual affiliations or professional groups.
Common in labor movements or marital contexts.
Interchangeability
Not always interchangeable with "union".
Not always interchangeable with "association".
Compare with Definitions
Association
A connection or cooperative link between people or organizations.
I joined the association of writers in my town.
Union
The act or process of joining two or more things into one.
The union of these two companies created a market giant.
Association
A mental connection or relation between thoughts, feelings, ideas, or sensations
My therapist helped me examine my association of food with comfort.
Union
(countable) A trade union; a workers' union.
Association
(Ecology) A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.
Union
(countable) A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, such as pipes.
Association
The act of associating or being connected with
My parents disapproved of my association with my friends from across town.
Union
A cask suspended on trunnions, in which fermentation is carried on.
One kingdom, joy, and union without end.
[Man] is to . . . begetLike of his like, his image multiplied.In unity defective; which requiresCollateral love, and dearest amity.
Association
The act of relating two or more things or ideas.
The association between rain and sadness is often depicted in movies.
Union
An organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer;
You have to join the union in order to get a job
Association
The process of forming memories or ideas in the mind.
The smell of roses always has a pleasant association for her.
Union
A structure or part in a plant or animal formed from the growing together of separate parts.
The union between the stem and the root is crucial for nutrient transport.
Association
A relationship resulting from interaction or dependence.
Their association started when they collaborated on a project.
Union
Agreement and conjunction of mind, spirit, will, affections, or the like; harmony; concord.
Association
Union of persons in a company or society for some particular purpose; as, the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a benevolent association. Specifically, as among the Congregationalists, a society, consisting of a number of ministers, generally the pastors of neighboring churches, united for promoting the interests of religion and the harmony of the churches.
Union
The United States (especially the northern states during the American Civil War);
He has visited every state in the Union
Lee hoped to detach Maryland from the Union
The North's superior resources turned the scale
Association
A group of people organized for a joint purpose.
The American Medical Association sets standards for doctors.
Union
Healing process involving the growing together of the edges of a wound or the growing together of broken bones
Association
A correlation or causal connection
There is a definite association of exercise with improved health.
Union
Of trade unions;
The union movement
Union negotiations
A union-shop clause in the contract
Association
(Chemistry) Any of various processes of combination, such as hydration, solvation, or complex-ion formation, depending on relatively weak chemical bonding.
Union
The action or fact of marrying or being married.
Their union was celebrated with great joy.
Association
(uncountable) The act of associating.
Union
A building housing such facilities.
Association
(statistics) Any relationship between two measured quantities that renders them statistically dependent (but not necessarily causal or a correlation).
Union
A large, fine pearl.
If they [pearls] be white, great, round, smooth, and weighty . . . our dainties and delicates here at Rome . . . call them unions, as a man would say "singular," and by themselves alone.
In the cup an union shall he throw,Richer than that which four successive kingsIn Denmark's crown have worn.
Association
A group of persons associated for a common purpose; an organization; society.
Union
The state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce);
A long and happy marriage
God bless this union
Association
(object-oriented programming) Relationship between classes of objects that allows one object instance to cause another to perform an action on its behalf.
Union
(countable) The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
Association
A benevolent overseas Chinese organization of popular origin for overseas Chinese individuals with the same surname or trade or business.
Union
(countable) The state of being united or joined; a state of unity or harmony.
Association
The act of associating, or state of being associated; union; connection, whether of persons of things.
Self-denial is a kind of holy association with God.
Union
The act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes;
The casual couplings of adolescents
The mating of some species occurs only in the spring
Association
The act of consorting with or joining with others;
You cannot be convicted of criminal guilt by association
Union
A club, society, or association formed by people with a common interest or purpose.
She is a proud member of the Actors' Union.
Association
The state of being connected together as in memory or imagination;
His association of his father with being beaten was too strong to break
Union
The act of uniting or the state of being united.
Association
A social or business relationship;
A valuable financial affiliation
He was sorry he had to sever his ties with other members of the team
Many close associations with England
Union
A combination so formed, especially an alliance or confederation of people, parties, or political entities for mutual interest or benefit.
Association
The process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination;
Conditioning is a form of learning by association
Union
(Mathematics) A set, every member of which is an element of one or another of two or more given sets.
Association
A relation resulting from interaction or dependence;
Flints were found in association with the prehistoric remains of the bear
The host is not always injured by association with a parasite
Union
Agreement or harmony resulting from the uniting of individuals; concord.
Association
(chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding
Union
The state of matrimony; marriage
"The element that was to make possible such a union was trust in each other's love" (Kate Chopin).
Association
An organized body of people who have an interest, activity, or purpose in common; a society.
Union
Sexual intercourse.
Association
The act of expressing a link or connection between two things
"The media's association of visa overstayers with illegality is so strong and common as to shape public attitudes towards them" (Junya Morooka).
Union
A combination of parishes for joint administration of relief for the poor in Great Britain.
Association
(countable) The state of being associated; a connection to or an affiliation with something.
Union
A workhouse maintained by such a union.
Association
Mental connection, or that which is mentally linked or associated with a thing.
Words . . . must owe their powers association.
Why should . . . the holiest words, with all their venerable associations, be profaned?
Union
A coupling device for connecting parts, such as pipes or rods.
Association
A formal organization of people or groups of people;
He joined the Modern Language Association
Union
An organization at a college or university that provides facilities for recreation; a student union.
Association
(ecology) a group of organisms (plants and animals) that live together in a certain geographical region and constitute a community with a few dominant species
Union
Union The United States of America regarded as a national unit, especially during the Civil War.
Union
Union Of, relating to, or loyal to the United States of America during the Civil War
A Union soldier.
Union
Of or relating to a labor union or labor union organizing
The union movement.
Union negotiations.
Union
The set containing all of the elements of two or more sets.
Union
(countable) The act or state of marriage.
Union
Sexual intercourse.
Union
A data structure that can store any of various types of item, but only one at a time.
Union
(historical) An affiliation of several parishes for joint support and management of their poor; also the jointly-owned workhouse.
Union
To combine sets using the union operation.
Union
Belonging to, represented by, or otherwise pertaining to a labour union.
Actors have to be union to get work here.
Union
The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one, or the state of being united or joined; junction; coalition; combination.
Union
That which is united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league; as, the weavers have formed a union; trades unions have become very numerous; the United States of America are often called the Union.
Union
A textile fabric composed of two or more materials, as cotton, silk, wool, etc., woven together.
Union
A device emblematic of union, used on a national flag or ensign, sometimes, as in the military standard of Great Britain, covering the whole field; sometimes, as in the flag of the United States, and the English naval and marine flag, occupying the upper inner corner, the rest of the flag being called the fly. Also, a flag having such a device; especially, the flag of Great Britain.
Union
A joint or other connection uniting parts of machinery, or the like, as the elastic pipe of a tender connecting it with the feed pipe of a locomotive engine; especially, a pipe fitting for connecting pipes, or pipes and fittings, in such a way as to facilitate disconnection.
Union
The state of being joined or united or linked;
There is strength in union
Union
A political unit formed from previously independent people or organizations;
The Soviet Union
Union
A set containing all and only the members of two or more given sets;
Let C be the union of the sets A and B
Union
The occurrence of a uniting of separate parts;
Lightning produced an unusual union of the metals
Union
A device on a national flag emblematic of the union of two or more sovereignties (typically in the upper inner corner)
Union
The act of making or becoming a single unit;
The union of opposing factions
He looked forward to the unification of his family for the holidays
Union
Being of or having to do with the northern United States and those loyal to the Union during the Civil War;
Union soldiers
Federal forces
A Federal infantryman
Union
A labor union.
Union
A device on a flag or ensign, occupying the upper inner corner or the entire field, that signifies the union of two or more sovereignties.
Union
(countable) That which is united, or made one; something formed by a combination or coalition of parts or members; a confederation; a consolidated body; a league.
Union
(countable) An association of students at a university for social and/or political purposes; also in some cases a debating body.
Union
A large, high-quality pearl.
Union
A political unit formed from previously independent people or organizations.
The United Kingdom is a union of four countries.
Common Curiosities
Can "association" and "union" be used interchangeably?
While both terms can refer to groups or affiliations, they are not always interchangeable. "Association" often indicates a specific purpose or a connection, while "union" suggests joining or combining.
How can "association" be used in a psychological context?
In psychology, "association" can refer to the relation of ideas, like associating a song with a specific memory.
What are examples of associations in professional contexts?
Professional associations like the American Bar Association or the American Medical Association are examples where members share a specific profession or field.
Is an association always formal?
No, an association can be either formal, like a professional organization, or informal, like a casual group with shared interests.
Are all unions related to labor movements?
While many unions are labor-related, the term can also refer to other contexts, like a union of countries or the union in marriage.
What does a "trade union" mean?
A trade union is an organized group of workers who unite to make decisions about conditions affecting their work, such as wages, work hours, and safety.
Is the marital context the only personal context for "union"?
No, while marital contexts use "union" to describe marriage, it can also refer to any situation where two or more entities are combined or linked.
How does "association" differ from "partnership"?
An association may not necessarily imply a shared liability or responsibility, while a partnership often does, especially in business contexts.
Does "union" always imply permanence?
While "union" often suggests a more lasting bond, it doesn't always guarantee permanence, as in unions that dissolve or merge.
Can businesses form an association?
Yes, businesses can form associations based on shared interests, challenges, or industries, such as a local business association.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
