alienist

[ eyl-yuh-nist, ey-lee-uh- ]

/ ˌeɪl yə nɪst, ˌeɪ li ə- /

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noun

(formerly) a doctor specializing in the treatment of mental illness.

an expert witness in a sanity trial.

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Origin of alienist

1860–65; alien(ation) + -ist; compare French aliéniste in same sense

Words nearby alienist

alienee, alienia, alieni generis, alieni juris, alienism, alienist, alienor, alif, aliform, Aligarh, alight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use alienist in a sentence

There might have been employment here for the alienist or for those who circulate the pledge; but I had had enough of it.
Sixes and Sevens|O. Henry
Dr. Carew proved to be a young and enthusiastic alienist whose heart and soul was in his work.
The Angel of Terror|Edgar Wallace
By way of a joke we tackled a medical alienist who had a seat on the commission.
Mentally Defective Children|Alfred Binet
It is possible, however, that this very opinion may be a fixed idea or symptomatic eccentricity of the alienist himself.
The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals|Edmund P. Evans

I think we'll have to take him up to the city to consult some prominent alienist, as the newspapers would say.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman|Albert Walter Tolman

British Dictionary definitions for alienist

alienist

/ (ˈeɪljənɪst, ˈeɪlɪə-) /

noun

US a psychiatrist who specializes in the legal aspects of mental illness

obsolete a person who practises alienism

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

Medical definitions for alienist

alienist

[ āl′yə-nĭst, ā′lē-ə- ]

A physician accepted by a court of law as an expert on the mental competence of principals or witnesses.