alienate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make indifferent or hostile.
By refusing to get a job, he has alienated his entire family.
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to cause to be withdrawn or isolated from the objective world.
Bullying alienates already shy students from their classmates.
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to turn away; transfer or divert.
to alienate funds from their intended purpose.
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Law. to transfer or convey, as title, property, or other right, to another.
to alienate lands.
verb
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to cause (a friend, sympathizer, etc) to become indifferent, unfriendly, or hostile; estrange
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to turn away; divert
to alienate the affections of a person
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law to transfer the ownership of (property, title, etc) to another person
Related Words
See estrange.
Other Word Forms
- alienator noun
- nonalienating adjective
- realienate verb (used with object)
- unalienating adjective
Etymology
Origin of alienate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin aliēnātus (past participle of aliēnāre “to transfer by sale, estrange”), equivalent to aliēn(us) “belonging to another, another's, foreign, alien ” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, meaning that Wellington must be careful not to totally alienate Beijing.
They also want to avoid alienating the U.S., which underpins their security.
Financial planners who brush off crypto and reject it outright risk alienating these potential clients.
From MarketWatch
At times, the company’s frenzied acting becomes theatrically alienating.
From Los Angeles Times
"I still agree with the sentiment of that statement," Finch said, but denied alienating staff and politicians.
From BBC
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.
