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 withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.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

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.

Example Sentences

Alienated by mainstream medicine’s denial of her condition, Ash became her own guinea pig for the next couple of years.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2023

Alienated and left to roam the streets alone, he slowly descends into mental illness, seeking solace in a reservoir of memories, rituals and dreams.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022

Alienated by House GOP leaders and most rank-and-file members, Ms. Cheney stayed in the spotlight with her role as vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S.

From Washington Times • Feb. 3, 2022

Alienated characters, who are the least likely to garner empathy, require extra attention from writers, and therefore often gravitate toward the center of a show.

From The New Yorker • May 18, 2019

Alienated by this and by the dogmatism and intolerance of Luther's writings, Erasmus finally defined his position in a Diatribe on Free Will.

From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved

Related Words

• disaffected