alienated

adjective alien·at·ed \ ˈā-lē-ə-ˌnā-təd , ˈāl-yə- \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of alienated

: feeling withdrawn or separated from others or from society as a whole : affected by alienation

feeling lonely and alienated

… after the success of 1969's "Easy Rider," a paean to the alienated youth of the hippie generation …
—Lisa Stein

Recent Examples of alienated from the Web

But the stakes are hardly limited to Iran: the U.S. is currently trying to negotiate nuclear disarmament of North Korea, a new trade deal with China (one of the JCPOA signatories Trump has potentially alienated), and a retooling of NAFTA.

— musa al-gharbi, The New Republic, "How to Torpedo U.S. Credibility," 9 May 2018
This is Misty’s statement record, 13 angry, alienated songs, which clocks in at an exhausting 75 minutes.

— taylor antrim, Vogue, "Let Father John Misty Explain Your Boyfriend To You," 20 Apr. 2018
An alienated cop, a stressed and scared cop, can be a more dangerous cop.

— marcos bretón, sacbee, "'Implicit bias' replaces the 'R' word. This is how we explain cops killing black men | The Sacramento Bee," 8 Apr. 2018
Even there, Pompeo faces potential trouble, as lawmakers who backed his nomination to lead the CIA have grown alienated.

— nicole gaouette, CNN, "Pompeo faces Democratic headwinds in bid to be top US diplomat," 11 Apr. 2018
The song, Carpenter shares, is about the feeling alienated and trapped within your own thoughts in a relationship, and not being able to describe those emotions out loud.

— rebecca schiller, Billboard, "Sabrina Carpenter & Jonas Blue Talk 'Making Something New Together' With 'Alien': Watch," 3 Apr. 2018
The extensive coverage of the two perpetrators made them not only famous but even, in some quarters, folk heroes of a sort, particularly among deeply alienated students.

— jaclyn schildkraut, Vox, "The media should stop making school shooters famous," 31 Mar. 2018
Both offered suggestions about the need for improved communication with young people who may be feeling alienated or depressed.

— erin gabriel, CNN, "NBA stars join fight against stigma surrounding mental illness," 28 Mar. 2018
One year before Trump announced his candidacy, the firm had apparently already identified a swath of alienated white Americans.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "The Secret History of Steve Bannon and Alexander Nix, Explained," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alienated.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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