alienated

American  

[ey-lee-uh-ney-tid, eyl-yuh-] / ˈeɪ li əˌneɪ tɪd, ˈeɪl yə- /

adjective

1. indifferent or hostile.

   A year after the floods, the failure of the promised rehabilitation package has fed an already alienated populace's sense of hurt and anger towards the government.

2. withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.

   Albert Camus's novel The Stranger is the story of an alienated, unfeeling man who kills someone for no reason and dies without remorse.

3. turned away from its original purpose or course; transferred or diverted.

   The investment firm, which misappropriated millions of dollars committed to it, was required to restore the alienated funds to the plaintiff.

4. Law. (of property, title, rights, etc.) transferred or conveyed to another.

   Much reservation territory is now owned and controlled by non-Indigenous people, depriving Indigenous nations of billions of dollars in potential income from these alienated lands.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of alienate.

Other Word Forms

• unalienated adjective

Etymology

Origin of alienated

alienate ( def. ) + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The squad almost imploded when Jonathan Rowe and Adrien Rabiot clashed in the dressing room, and De Zerbi's uncompromising style alienated certain players.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Some speculate that its ambiguous ending alienated audiences, although both viewers and critics seem to have liked the movie overall.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Overzealous security guards, higher prices and overcrowding at parties also alienated longtime fans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

He returns to the tragedy later in his survey after guilt has alienated the Macbeths from each other and they find themselves trapped in a nightmare of their own making.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

My swift rise to E’lir alienated me from most of the other students.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• disaffected