alienate

[ eyl-yuh-neyt, ey-lee-uh- ]
/ ˈeɪl yəˌneɪt, ˈeɪ li ə- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR alienate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), al·ien·at·ed, al·ien·at·ing.

to make indifferent or hostile: By refusing to get a job, he has alienated his entire family.
to cause to be withdrawn or isolated from the objective world: Bullying alienates already shy students from their classmates.
to turn away; transfer or divert: to alienate funds from their intended purpose.
Law. to transfer or convey, as title, property, or other right, to another: to alienate lands.

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Origin of alienate

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin aliēnātus (past participle of aliēnāre), equivalent to aliēn(us) alien + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM alienate

Words nearby alienate

alidade, alien, alien and sedition acts, alienable, alienage, alienate, alienation, alienation of affections, alienee, alieni generis, alieni juris
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to alienated

disaffected, alone

Example sentences from the Web for alienated

British Dictionary definitions for alienated

alienate
/ (ˈeɪljəˌneɪt, ˈeɪlɪə-) /

verb (tr)

to cause (a friend, sympathizer, etc) to become indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile; estrange
to turn away; divertto alienate the affections of a person
law to transfer the ownership of (property, title, etc) to another person

Derived forms of alienate

alienator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012