alienated

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Feeling cut off or no longer part of a group, society or one's own surroundings.

   Grammar: Often takes from: alienated from her family.

   Patterns

   • alienated from someone
   • feel alienated

   After moving to a new city, she felt alienated from everyone.

   Many young voters feel alienated from politics.

   He grew alienated from his old friends.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Made unfriendly or turned away by someone's behavior.

   Grammar: Often a participle after a linking verb: customers became alienated.

   Patterns

   • become alienated by something

   Workers became alienated by the manager's rude tone.

   The new policy left loyal fans feeling alienated.

   The party risks leaving alienated voters behind.

Word forms

Common combinations

feel alienated

New students may feel alienated at first.

alienated from society

The character is alienated from society.

alienated youth

Researchers studied alienated youth in big cities.

increasingly alienated

He grew increasingly alienated from his team.

deeply alienated

She was deeply alienated by the harsh words.

Synonyms and how they differ

estranged

Estranged usually refers to a broken relationship with a particular person, such as a spouse or relative.

isolated

Isolated describes being physically or socially alone, while alienated stresses emotional distance from others.

disaffected

Disaffected suggests lost loyalty and discontent with an authority or system.

detached

Detached implies calm separation and may be a choice, while alienated is usually unwelcome.

Opposites

Word family

alienate verb

to make someone feel unwelcome or distant

alienation noun

the feeling of being cut off

alien adjective

foreign or strange

alienating adjective

causing a feeling of distance

Commonly confused: alienated or alien?

Practice

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