Word
alienate
Phoneticsalien·ate
US/ˈeɪɫjəˌneɪt/
UK/ˈeɪliənˌeɪt/
Definition
v. to make someone feel like they do not belong or are not part of a group. You might do this by being unfriendly or by making choices they strongly disagree with.
v. to cause someone to feel isolated or estranged from a group or society. Often describes the result of actions that create hostility or indifference in others.
Examples
“His rude behavior began to alienate his closest friends.”
“The government's new tax policy threatened to alienate the very voters who had supported them in the last election.”
“By refusing to acknowledge the concerns of the local community, the developers risked alienating the public and losing the necessary support for their ambitious urban renewal project.”
Examples
simple
“His rude behavior began to alienate his closest friends.”
contextual
“The government's new tax policy threatened to alienate the very voters who had supported them in the last election.”
complex
“By refusing to acknowledge the concerns of the local community, the developers risked alienating the public and losing the necessary support for their ambitious urban renewal project.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; often used in the passive voice ('to be alienated from').
Pitfall
alienate from his family
alienate him from his family
Alienate is transitive and requires a direct object before the prepositional phrase.
Real-World Examples
“A number of Greens fear passing the motion could alienate Jewish supporters.” “For months, you fit it around work and family, miss out socially, become more than mildly obsessed with food and try not to completely alienate the significant people in your life.” “Sir Keir's plan runs the risk of being neither fish nor fowl: too unambitious to win back Reform voters; but illiberal enough to alienate some on the left.” Etymology
From Middle English alienat(e) (“deranged; uncertain; sequestred, secluded”), from Latin aliēnātus, perfect passive participle of aliēnō (“to estrange, alienate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from aliēnus. by surface analysis, alien + -ate. See alien, and compare aliene.
From a substantivation of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French aliéner (“a crazed, mad man, lunatic”).
Either from the above adjective or directly borrowed from Latin alienātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French aliéner.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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