affiliate vs associate

affiliate and associate both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
affiliate	Yes	No	Yes	No
associate	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

As nouns, associate is a hypernym of affiliate; that is, associate is a word with a broader meaning than affiliate:

affiliate: a subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization
associate: a person who joins with others in some activity or endeavor

As verbs, affiliate and associate are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of affiliate include assort, consort.

affiliate (noun)	associate (noun)
a subsidiary or subordinate organization that is affiliated with another organization	a degree granted by a two-year college on successful completion of the undergraduates course of studies
a subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization	any event that usually accompanies or is closely connected with another
	a person who joins with others in some activity or endeavor
	a friend who is frequently in the company of another
	a person with subordinate membership in a society, institution, or commercial enterprise

affiliate (adjective)	associate (adjective)
	having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status

affiliate (verb)	associate (verb)
join in an affiliation	make a logical or causal connection
keep company with; hang out with	bring or come into association or action
	keep company with; hang out with