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alienate

AY-lee-uh-nayt /ˈeɪ.li.ə.neɪt/

verbC1GRESATACTTOEFL

formalacademicjournalistic

To cause someone to feel isolated, hostile, or estranged; to turn away friendly feelings.

Implies an active behavior or policy that drives a wedge between oneself and others, often resulting in resentment or hostility.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'alienus', meaning 'belonging to another' or 'foreign'. In legal terms, to alienate property meant to transfer its ownership to someone else. By the 15th century, the word slipped into psychology and social relations, describing the tragic transfer of our affections away from those we once loved, making them feel like foreigners to us.

Word relationships

estrange: Estrange focuses more on the breakdown of an existing close relationship, while alienate can apply to broader groups, public support, or general affection.
disaffect: Disaffect specifically means to lose loyalty or affection toward an authority figure or institution, whereas alienate is broader and more interpersonal.

endear: Endear means to inspire affection and bring people closer, which is the exact opposite of driving them away.
reconcile: Reconcile means to restore friendly relations after a dispute, undoing the effects of alienation.

Commonly confused with

isolate: Isolate means to physically or socially cut someone off from others, while alienate means to make them feel hostile or unwelcome, even if they are still physically present.

Word family

alienation (noun): The state of being isolated or estranged from a group or activity.
alienating (adjective): Causing feelings of isolation or exclusion.

Collocations

alienate voters
alienate friends
alienate the public
completely alienate

Example sentences

"His cold, arrogant attitude began to alienate even his most loyal supporters." A classic novel exploring social division and political tension.
"The new management policies threatened to alienate the core engineering team." An analysis of modern workplace dynamics.

Memory hook

Think of an 'alien' arriving on Earth. Because they are so different, they naturally 'alienate' themselves from the local human population, driving a wedge of fear and misunderstanding between them. Alienate makes others feel like aliens.

When not to use

Do not use for physical separation of objects; use 'separate' or 'detach' instead.

Fun facts

In modern psychology, 'parental alienation' is a recognized term describing when one parent systematically brainwashes a child to reject the other parent.