alienate
verb
alien·ate
ˈā-lē-ə-ˌnāt 
ˈāl-yə-
alienated; alienating
1
: to cause to be estranged : to make unfriendly, hostile, or indifferent especially where attachment formerly existed
He alienated most of his colleagues with his bad temper.
Her position on this issue has alienated many former supporters.
2
: to convey or transfer (something, such as property or a right) usually by a specific act rather than the due course of law
3
: to cause to be withdrawn or diverted
alienate capital from its natural channels
Examples of alienate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Tuchel has risked alienating his talisman, who surely won’t have appreciated the comments.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Members were becoming alienated from one another, and bandleader Sly Stone in particular was dealing with all kinds of internal and external pressures, which led to health issues and a retreat from the spotlight, and both exorbitant spending and heavy drug use to cope with all of it.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 12 June 2025
Some feel that in order to get back on track and win back the House in the 2026 midterms, the party should take a more bipartisan approach to politics, and work with Trump to pass legislation, while others feel that doing so will alienate Democratic voters who see Trump as a toxic figure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
Similarly, adding more spending cuts could alienate moderate GOP members.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienate
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Tim Spiers, New York Times, 13 June 2025
Members were becoming alienated from one another, and bandleader Sly Stone in particular was dealing with all kinds of internal and external pressures, which led to health issues and a retreat from the spotlight, and both exorbitant spending and heavy drug use to cope with all of it.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 12 June 2025
Some feel that in order to get back on track and win back the House in the 2026 midterms, the party should take a more bipartisan approach to politics, and work with Trump to pass legislation, while others feel that doing so will alienate Democratic voters who see Trump as a toxic figure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
Similarly, adding more spending cuts could alienate moderate GOP members.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienate
Cite this Entry
“Alienate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alienate. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alienate
verb
alien·ate
ˈā-lē-ə-ˌnāt
ˈāl-yə-ˌnāt
alienated; alienating
1
: to transfer (as a title, property, or right) to another
2
: to cause (one who used to be friendly or loyal) to become unfriendly or disloyal
Medical Definition
alienate
transitive verb
alien·ate
ˈā-lē-ə-ˌnāt, ˈāl-yə-
alienated; alienating
: to make unfriendly, hostile, or indifferent where attachment formerly existed
Legal Definition
alienate
transitive verb
alien·ate
ˈā-lē-ə-ˌnāt
alienated; alienating
: to give away or sell (property or a property right) to another
will not sell, transfer, assign, hypothecate or otherwise alienate any of his voting shares—Strickland v. Rahaim, 549 So. 2d 58 (1989)
compare devise
Strickland v. Rahaim, 549 So. 2d 58 (1989)Etymology
Latin alienare, from alienus not one's own
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