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V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary


alienate

verb

Definition: 1. to make someone feel excluded or isolated; 2. to cause someone to become unfriendly or hostile; 3. to transfer property ownership

Synonyms: estrange, separate, antagonize, dissociate, transfer [ownership]

Antonyms: reconcile, include, unite

Tips: Alienate is derived from the Latin alius, meaning "other." Someone who is "another" is "excluded from" or "outside of." When you are alienated you are made to feel like someone other than those who are accepted; you are made to feel like an alien--someone foreign, different, or not normal. The related adjective alienated means "to feel left out or estranged."

Usage Examples:

After several months, his boss's thinly-veiled insults had completely alienated John. (antagonized)

People with psychological disorders often feel alienated from society. (separated, excluded) adjective

Although he was formerly a member of that political party, the party's recent actions have alienated him. (antagonized, estranged)

At the time of her death, her property was alienated to a charity. (transferred)


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