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 of alienation

• estrangement

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

According to experts who both defend and criticize the theory, parental alienation is rejected by psychiatry's diagnostic bodies, including the American Psychiatric Association, and is usually used in courtroom settings to reject claims of abuse. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026

Fifth Attempt Any great literature comes from a place of alienation; there’s a reason that the modern novel was invented by gay men. —Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

That sense of alienation and dislocation intensified after the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. —Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026

And this sense of mutual alienation, of being neither here nor there, that Franny and Elliott live with suggests that the political is no longer seen from a potentially abstract place and finally bleeds into realm of the personal. —Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 17 May 2026

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

Rhymes for alienation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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