Alienate
verb
To make someone feel isolated or unimportant.
His behavior began to alienate his friends.
Often appears as...
- alienate from society
- alienate from friends
verb
To transfer ownership of property to another.
The landlord can alienate the property at any time.
Often appears as...
- alienate property
- alienate land
Usage tips
Formal
Legal
verb
To make someone feel estranged or unwelcome.
His constant sarcasm alienated his colleagues at work.
Often appears as...
- alienate colleagues
- alienate team members
verb
To make someone feel isolated or unimportant.
His behavior began to alienate his friends.
Often appears as...
- alienate from society
- alienate from friends
verb
To transfer ownership of property to another.
The landlord can alienate the property at any time.
Often appears as...
- alienate property
- alienate land
Usage tips
Formal
Legal
verb
To make someone feel estranged or unwelcome.
His constant sarcasm alienated his colleagues at work.
Often appears as...
- alienate colleagues
- alienate team members
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Impact
Understand that 'alienate' implies negative emotions and could show someone's actions causing hurt.
Ignoring her during meetings may alienate her from the team.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-instantaneous
'Alienate' often implies a gradual process, not an immediate change in social dynamics.
His reluctance to participate slowly began to alienate him from our club.
Pro Tip 3/3Passive Result
The action that causes alienation may not be intended to isolate; it's often an unfortunate result.
Without realizing, his constant tardiness alienated his coworkers.
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Impact
Understand that 'alienate' implies negative emotions and could show someone's actions causing hurt.
Ignoring her during meetings may alienate her from the team.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-instantaneous
'Alienate' often implies a gradual process, not an immediate change in social dynamics.
His reluctance to participate slowly began to alienate him from our club.
Pro Tip 3/3Passive Result
The action that causes alienation may not be intended to isolate; it's often an unfortunate result.
Without realizing, his constant tardiness alienated his coworkers.
Pro Tip 1/3Emotional Impact
Understand that 'alienate' implies negative emotions and could show someone's actions causing hurt.
Ignoring her during meetings may alienate her from the team.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-instantaneous
'Alienate' often implies a gradual process, not an immediate change in social dynamics.
His reluctance to participate slowly began to alienate him from our club.
Pro Tip 3/3Passive Result
The action that causes alienation may not be intended to isolate; it's often an unfortunate result.
Without realizing, his constant tardiness alienated his coworkers.
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Video examples
Skinheads Recruiting...
in an instant these websites are where racist skinheads can influence alienated youth you search on you know adolf hitler research on nazism you get a lot of modern day nazi websites they start telling you you know you think this way but here's the truth your parents are lying to you the government's lying to you and they start
Video examples
First person vs. Second...
and one brother feels alienated from the others. Second person is a less common choice. It requires the writer to make the reader suspend disbelief to become another “you.” Placing the reader in a character’s perspective can build urgency and suspense. Sometimes, though,
Video examples
What would you do if...
was bigger than a personal quest I came to know many people living with Alzheimer's people who felt stigmatized and alienated much like cancer was 50 years ago the general public was too afraid of this monster of a disease to openly look at it or talk about it and I
Video examples
What adults can learn...
Many publishers were not quite so encouraging. One large children's publisher ironically said that they didn't work with children. Children's publisher not working with children? I don't know, you're kind of alienating a large client there.
Video examples
Why the buildings of the...
We throw out historical symbols, we rely on new, computer-aided design techniques, and we come up with new compositions, forms crashing into forms. This is academic and heady stuff, it's super unpopular, we totally alienate you.
Video examples
Is life meaningless? And...
For him the world is pointless and moral judgment has no place in it. This attitude creates hostility between Meursault and the orderly society he inhabits, slowly increasing his alienation until the novel’s explosive climax.
Video examples
Nationalism vs....
The feelings that people today have of alienation and loneliness and not finding their place in the world, I would think that the chief problem is not global capitalism. The chief problem is that over the last hundred years,
Video examples
Our lonely society makes...
you can get over trauma pretty quickly. And if you come back to an alienating, modern society, you might remain traumatized your entire life. In other words, maybe the problem isn't them, the vets; maybe the problem is us.
Video examples
Why governments should...
do we really want to be? And when we engage people in those questions, in finding the answers to those questions, then I believe that we have a much better chance of addressing the alienation and disaffection from politics
Video examples
Tavi Gevinson: A teen...
a website for teenage girls that was not this kind of one-dimensional strong character empowerment thing because I think one thing that can be very alienating about a misconception of feminism is that
Video examples
Skinheads Recruiting...
in an instant these websites are where racist skinheads can influence alienated youth you search on you know adolf hitler research on nazism you get a lot of modern day nazi websites they start telling you you know you think this way but here's the truth your parents are lying to you the government's lying to you and they start
Video examples
First person vs. Second...
and one brother feels alienated from the others. Second person is a less common choice. It requires the writer to make the reader suspend disbelief to become another “you.” Placing the reader in a character’s perspective can build urgency and suspense. Sometimes, though,
Video examples
What would you do if...
was bigger than a personal quest I came to know many people living with Alzheimer's people who felt stigmatized and alienated much like cancer was 50 years ago the general public was too afraid of this monster of a disease to openly look at it or talk about it and I
Video examples
What adults can learn...
Many publishers were not quite so encouraging. One large children's publisher ironically said that they didn't work with children. Children's publisher not working with children? I don't know, you're kind of alienating a large client there.
Video examples
Why the buildings of the...
We throw out historical symbols, we rely on new, computer-aided design techniques, and we come up with new compositions, forms crashing into forms. This is academic and heady stuff, it's super unpopular, we totally alienate you.
Video examples
Is life meaningless? And...
For him the world is pointless and moral judgment has no place in it. This attitude creates hostility between Meursault and the orderly society he inhabits, slowly increasing his alienation until the novel’s explosive climax.
Video examples
Nationalism vs....
The feelings that people today have of alienation and loneliness and not finding their place in the world, I would think that the chief problem is not global capitalism. The chief problem is that over the last hundred years,
Video examples
Our lonely society makes...
you can get over trauma pretty quickly. And if you come back to an alienating, modern society, you might remain traumatized your entire life. In other words, maybe the problem isn't them, the vets; maybe the problem is us.
Video examples
Why governments should...
do we really want to be? And when we engage people in those questions, in finding the answers to those questions, then I believe that we have a much better chance of addressing the alienation and disaffection from politics
Video examples
Tavi Gevinson: A teen...
a website for teenage girls that was not this kind of one-dimensional strong character empowerment thing because I think one thing that can be very alienating about a misconception of feminism is that
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Yossi Ghinsberg
Israeli Entertainer
I think we suffer from certain alienation. We live on this planet, but we somehow have an idea that we're elevated from it, that we're not nature. We're a creature that manages nature and is superior and does whatever it wants. That creates a separation between humanity and the rest of the planet.
Quote examples
Jerry Greenfield
American Businessman
The reality is that most companies are not about any values at all - they are about making money. It is extremely rare for a business to stand for anything because most businesses don't want to alienate potential customers, and if you believe in anything you are going to alienate someone.
Quote examples
Feist
Canadian Musician
Surreal can be exciting and good, and it can be like living inside an alien landscape, and it can be completely interesting, or you can be alienated from your own life - inside your own life, it doesn't feel familiar any more.
Quote examples
Idina Menzel
American Actress
I think as women, the smarter and more powerful we are, the more it can be threatening and alienating to other people, more than with men. That's something we need to support each other with.
Quote examples
Hubert Selby, Jr.
American Writer
I've always felt alienated. I realized that I've been terrified my entire life. So I can identify that fear which drives so many of the people that I write about.
Quote examples
Hilton Als
American Writer
I used to think that the feeling of alienation that I would have was just me, but I realise that it's also a symptom of the modern world.
Quote examples
Shelby Steele
American Author
I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.
Quote examples
Daniel Kaluuya
English Actor
Racism isn't just in America... Alienation is felt worldwide in different capacities.
Quote examples
Ginuwine
American Actor
You don't alienate the people that helped you and started you out.
Quote examples
Gary Lineker
English Footballer
We do not want to alienate supporters.
Quote examples
Yossi Ghinsberg
Israeli Entertainer
I think we suffer from certain alienation. We live on this planet, but we somehow have an idea that we're elevated from it, that we're not nature. We're a creature that manages nature and is superior and does whatever it wants. That creates a separation between humanity and the rest of the planet.
Quote examples
Jerry Greenfield
American Businessman
The reality is that most companies are not about any values at all - they are about making money. It is extremely rare for a business to stand for anything because most businesses don't want to alienate potential customers, and if you believe in anything you are going to alienate someone.
Quote examples
Feist
Canadian Musician
Surreal can be exciting and good, and it can be like living inside an alien landscape, and it can be completely interesting, or you can be alienated from your own life - inside your own life, it doesn't feel familiar any more.
Quote examples
Idina Menzel
American Actress
I think as women, the smarter and more powerful we are, the more it can be threatening and alienating to other people, more than with men. That's something we need to support each other with.
Quote examples
Hubert Selby, Jr.
American Writer
I've always felt alienated. I realized that I've been terrified my entire life. So I can identify that fear which drives so many of the people that I write about.
Quote examples
Hilton Als
American Writer
I used to think that the feeling of alienation that I would have was just me, but I realise that it's also a symptom of the modern world.
Quote examples
Shelby Steele
American Author
I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.
Quote examples
Daniel Kaluuya
English Actor
Racism isn't just in America... Alienation is felt worldwide in different capacities.
Quote examples
Ginuwine
American Actor
You don't alienate the people that helped you and started you out.
Quote examples
Gary Lineker
English Footballer
We do not want to alienate supporters.
Example 1 of 10
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