Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause someone to feel isolated, estranged, or emotionally disconnected: To make someone feel withdrawn or that they no longer belong in a situation or relationship.
   • To arouse hostility or indifference where there was formerly affection or friendliness: To cause someone who once liked or loved you to become unfriendly or distant.
   • (Law) To transfer property or ownership to another: To convey the title or interest in property to someone else.

Examples of Usage

• Verb (Emotional/Social Estrangement):
  • His constant criticism began to alienate his colleagues.
  • The new policy has the potential to alienate a significant portion of the voter base.
• Verb (Causing Hostility/Indifference):
  • She alienated her oldest friends with her radical new opinions.
• Verb (Legal Transfer):
  • The land was alienated from the family estate over a century ago.

Advanced Usage

• "to alienate someone from someone/something": To cause someone to feel separated or detached from a person, group, or idea.
  • The scandal alienated him from his political party.
• Passive Voice: Often used to describe the state of being estranged.
  • He felt increasingly alienated at work.

Variants and Related Words

• Alienation (noun): The state or experience of being alienated.
  • Social alienation is a common theme in modern literature.
• Alienable (adjective): (Law) Capable of being transferred to the ownership of another.
  • In most jurisdictions, property rights are alienable.

Synonyms

• Estrange: To cause someone to be no longer close or affectionate.
• Distance: To cause a loss of warmth or intimacy in a relationship.
• Turn away: To cause someone to stop being friendly or supportive.
• (For legal sense) Transfer, Convey: To make over the possession or legal title of property.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Alienate" is not typically used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The preposition "from" is used to indicate the source of separation.) - Alienate from: The standard construction to show what or whom someone is being separated from. - His actions alienated him from his community.

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "alienate." The concept is expressed directly by the verb.)

Verb

1. make withdrawn or isolated or emotionally dissociated
   • the boring work alienated his employees
2. transfer property or ownership
   • The will aliened the property to the heirs
3. arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness
   • She alienated her friends when she became fanatically religious