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

• 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

First and foremost, we are targeted by fear: of scarcity, of alienation, of violence, of loss. —Cindy Juyoung Ok june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025

Much has been made of the rise of incel culture (involuntarily celibate) but there’s a much broader and moderate feeling of alienation amongst young boys. —Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

The Beach Year: 2000 Runtime: 1h 59m Following A Life Less Ordinary, Boyle’s Hollywood sojourn continued with this adaptation of Alex Garland’s debut novel, seen by many at the time as a bit of a Gen-X totem of drugs, freedom, and alienation. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025

Repeatedly returning to themes of globalization and alienation, the 55-year-old director has meticulously chronicled his country’s uneasy plunge into the 21st century as rampant industrialization risks deadening those left behind. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 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

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