alienated
Americanadjective
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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.
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withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.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.
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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.
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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.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alienated
Explanation
An alienated person feels estranged or divided from others, like a shy bookworm sitting in a group of enthusiastic sports fans. The word alienated comes from the Latin alienus, which means "of or belonging to another place" — like an alien! A person who feels alienated may not actually be from another place (or planet), but he sure feels that way. You may feel alienated from your friends if they have all decided that punk rock is the greatest thing on earth, but you are still loyal to the classic rock that you all used to love.
Vocabulary lists containing alienated
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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.
These include mass layoffs, angry and alienated customers, and the destruction of a huge amount of value at companies that are misapplying it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 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
“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
It also alienated voters in the district who had long supported him.
From Slate • May 20, 2026
Reverend Holman said to their mother, as if Rafik and Liyana weren’t present, “Your children must feel alienated here, don’t they?”
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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.
