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alienate

AY-lee-uh-nayt /ˈeɪliəneɪt/

verbC1GRESATACTGMATTOEFLIELTS

neutralformal

To cause someone to feel isolated, estranged, or excluded from a group, activity, or society.

Alienation can be active (doing something to push someone away) or passive (failing to include someone, causing them to drift away).

The story behind the word. 'Alienate' comes from the Latin 'alienare,' meaning 'to estrange' or 'to make another's.' This is derived from 'alienus,' which means 'belonging to another' (the same root that gave us 'alien'). To alienate someone is to make them feel like an outsider or a stranger in a place where they should belong.

Word relationships

estrange: Estrange typically refers to the breakdown of close personal or family relationships, while alienate is broader and can apply to social groups, voters, or society.
distance: Distance is a milder term that can be physical or emotional, whereas alienate implies a more profound and painful psychological separation.

unite: Unite means to bring people together in agreement or action, which is the opposite of alienating them.
reconcile: Reconcile means to restore friendly relations, reversing the effects of alienation.

Commonly confused with

align: Align means to bring into cooperation or agreement, which is the exact opposite of alienate.

Word family

alienation (noun): The state of feeling isolated or excluded.
alienated (adjective): Feeling isolated or excluded.

Collocations

alienate voters
alienate supporters
feel alienated
alienate the public

Idioms & expressions

drive a wedge between

Example sentences

"The manager's authoritarian style served only to alienate the team members, destroying their motivation." A warning about poor leadership style.

Memory hook

Think of an 'alien' from outer space. If you alienate someone, you make them feel like a literal alien who doesn't belong on this planet. Alienate makes them feel like an alien.

When not to use

Do not use 'alienate' if you simply disagree with someone; it must involve a breakdown of a relationship or a feeling of exclusion.

Fun facts

In legal terminology, 'to alienate' property means to transfer the ownership of that property to another person.
Karl Marx famously wrote about the 'alienation of labor,' describing how modern industrial workers feel disconnected from the products of their work.