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to cause to be withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.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:
“If they change, they alienate the loyal customers,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
On “The View,” he was calm, self-deprecating at times and careful not to alienate outright.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
But Kim cannot afford to alienate his biggest source of aid either.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
He’d also be a U.S. ally if Mr. Vance doesn’t alienate him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Rather than alienate his base, he simply added to it.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
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
If shifting the club’s priorities alienates some older members who happen to be among the club’s important donors, it would be justified, Pilch said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2024
He denies this assessment of his character, along with assertions that he alienates his fellow politicians.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
“I’m trying not to do anything that alienates anyone,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 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
Many changes alienated some core diners and conservatives, prompting her to scrap much of her strategy as sales and profit plummeted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She went on to be the UN rights chief, a sensitive role in which she alienated some countries, especially China, which mauled her for reporting on Beijing's alleged abuses of the country's Uyghur minority group.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
"I don't like crowds, I don't like clubs or drinking, so I just felt so alienated by it. Everyone else was looking beautiful and it was just not a great first Pride experience."
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
“People are alienated from our current politics not because Americans are cynical, but because people recognize that they deserve better.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
My swift rise to E’lir alienated me from most of the other students.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Such controversies highlight the delicate balance facing brands hoping to attract younger audiences without alienating their core, longstanding customer base.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
As Ethan, Stock was as perversely alienating as he was poignantly alienated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
Copernicus’s disciple Rheticus, in the first published account of the Copernican theory, held back any reference to heliocentrism for as long as he possibly could, for fear of alienating his readers.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
