alienation

noun

alien·​ation ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən 

ˌāl-yə-

1

: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affections from an object or position of former attachment : estrangement

alienation … from the values of one's society and family

—S. L. Halleck

2

: a conveyance of property to another

Synonyms

• disaffection
• disgruntlement
• estrangement
• souring

Examples of alienation in a Sentence

after years of alienation from her family, she became reconciled with them when her father fell ill

Recent Examples on the Web

The show is about many things: the strangeness, alienation and dark sense of humor that flows from growing up so close to death; the way the moment of our birth dictates our ability to be, or not be, ourselves; the central place our parents and our happy/sad childhoods occupy in our adult memories. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025

Besides the comedy, Shaun the Sheep Movie also meditates on urban alienation, and the lonely anonymity that’s part and parcel of moving through a metropolis. —Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025

And in time, the traditions come to define who each person in the family is, countering alienation, and offering steadiness and certainty. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

Morrison’s novel tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a Black girl in Lorain, Ohio, after the Great Depression, who suffers abuse and alienation culminating in a delusion that she’s been granted the blue eyes she’s always dreamed of. —Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English alienacioun "transference of property rights, derangement, estrangement," borrowed from Anglo-French alienaciun, alienation, borrowed from Latin aliēnātiōn-, aliēnātiō "transference of ownership, estrangement, hostility" (mentis aliēnātiō "mental disorder, insanity"), from aliēnāre "to transfer (goods, property) to another, render hostile, estrange" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at alienate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing alienation

• self-alienation

Kids Definition

alienation

noun

alien·​ation ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən 

ˌāl-yə-ˈnā-

1

: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affection from an object of past attachment

2

: a transfer of property to another

Medical Definition

alienation

noun

alien·​ation ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən, ˌāl-yə- 

: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affections from an object or position of former attachment

alienation … from the values of one's society and family

—S. L. Halleck