alienate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make indifferent or hostile.
By refusing to get a job, he has alienated his entire family.
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to cause to be withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.
Bullying alienates already shy students from their classmates.
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to turn away; transfer or divert.
to alienate funds from their intended purpose.
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Law. to transfer or convey, as title, property, or other right, to another.
to alienate lands.
verb
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to cause (a friend, sympathizer, etc) to become indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile; estrange
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to turn away; divert
to alienate the affections of a person
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law to transfer the ownership of (property, title, etc) to another person
Synonym Usage
See estrange.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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alienatesimple
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alienatessimple
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have alienatedperfect
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has alienatedperfect
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am alienatingprogressive
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are alienatingprogressive
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is alienatingprogressive
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have been alienatingperfect progressive
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has been alienatingperfect progressive
Past
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alienatedsimple
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had alienatedperfect
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was alienatingprogressive
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were alienatingprogressive
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had been alienatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of alienate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin aliēnātus (past participle of aliēnāre “to transfer by sale, estrange”), equivalent to aliēn(us) “belonging to another, another's, foreign, alien ” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you alienate people, you make them stop liking or caring about you. Show up at a conference of cat lovers with a sign around your neck that says, "I hate kittens," and you'll learn firsthand what that means. Back in the days of Latin, before the word alien came to mean little green men from outer space, it described something or someone that was foreign or different or not known: an alien custom, an alien nation. When you alienate people, you make them WISH you were an alien, or at least that they could send you to the moon.
Vocabulary lists containing alienate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You don’t want to alienate your mom or dad, or make them feel that you don’t support their late-in-life shot at romantic bliss.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
US and British advisers criticised the main Fidesz campaign slogan "the safe choice", because it would alienate young voters.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
He’d also be a U.S. ally if Mr. Vance doesn’t alienate him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
But McLaughlin did not merely alienate the judiciary; she consistently undermined the administration’s legal arguments, sabotaging lawyers’ efforts to cover up unlawful conduct by boasting about it on social media.
From Slate ● Feb. 18, 2026
The West Wing—particularly David Axelrod, now a senior adviser in the administration, and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs—thought it would be perceived as too showy, too costly, and could potentially alienate Barack from the public.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The more people dislike him, the more loudly announces he’s actually a deeply moral person, which is an obnoxious and off-putting lie that alienates people more.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
She alienates Bonnie and the whole team with bloated speeches, anti-mediocrity platitudes, bursts of temper and displays of ingratitude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
Mr Jordan and his team will have to try to find ways to cajole or coerce his opponents into yielding while not doing so in a way that alienates his current crop of supporters.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2023
And if Americans can figure out more about what connects and what alienates, some answers to the loneliness epidemic might reveal themselves.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2023
“These are just rumors and gossip. The proverbs say ‘He who harps on a matter alienates his friend.’
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
As Ethan, Stock was as perversely alienating as he was poignantly alienated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Rightly or wrongly, recent developments have likely alienated the very crowd that constitutes a Tony viewership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Many shoppers who once turned to the brand for its affordable cotton basics now say they feel further alienated because of the changes.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
It’s a growing demographic hitting both genders, driven in part by climbing divorce rates among older Americans and a rising number of adult children becoming alienated from their parents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
In one stroke, his misstep fractured his relations with the regents and alienated the faculty.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
As Ethan, Stock was as perversely alienating as he was poignantly alienated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
"They're alienating a hell of a lot of people who are athletics fans and potential stalwarts within the sport."
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
It’s only ironic that the film’s story doesn’t have the same inventive, thoughtful scope, only to avoid alienating anyone watching the movie on their iPad.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Speaking out carries the risk of alienating followers who vote differently, with Zirah and Baldy saying they do not plan to endorse any candidate.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Worried about alienating the boy, Franz said little during such outbursts and let him rant.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
