1
as in infuriates
to cause to change from friendly or loving to unfriendly or uncaring
her changed position on the issue surprised and alienated many of her supporters
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cedes
to give over the legal possession or ownership of
landowners have a right to alienate their right of ownership—in other words, they can sell the land if they want to
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alienates
Increasingly bitter about being cheated, and decreasingly able or willing to hide it, Rick exhibits erratic behavior that alienates his friends, his family, his band.
—
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
His paranoia, too self protective and self righteous, alienates him from himself.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
This type of stuff just alienates me.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
Trump’s malice and incompetence alienates voters, who then publicly voice their discontent, encouraging other political actors and institutions to see him not as a crusading avatar of national destiny but as a weakened figure.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
This relentless pursuit of holiday perfection alienates Claire from her eldest daughter and fuels her own stress and anguish, too.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 9 Dec. 2025
This both alienates those who built that culture and ignores the real-world context where changes must be integrated.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
That alienates a lot of people.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
His paranoia, too self protective and self righteous, alienates him from himself.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
This type of stuff just alienates me.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
Trump’s malice and incompetence alienates voters, who then publicly voice their discontent, encouraging other political actors and institutions to see him not as a crusading avatar of national destiny but as a weakened figure.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
This relentless pursuit of holiday perfection alienates Claire from her eldest daughter and fuels her own stress and anguish, too.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 9 Dec. 2025
This both alienates those who built that culture and ignores the real-world context where changes must be integrated.
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
That alienates a lot of people.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienates
Verb
-
Ugh, Salley infuriates me more than people who stop at the top of the subway stairs to check their phone.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
No one exemplifies that, and infuriates Twins fans more, than Ortiz.—
Brian Hall,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Choosing silence also cedes our right to free speech.—
Jenna Norton,
STAT,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The specialization that cedes politics, economics or communication to separate disciplines is, in sociology, an invitation to synthesize and to consider how these broad social processes engage, reinforce or conflict with one another.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
LaCava said the change seems like another city policy that angers many residents without major impact.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Kobabe conveys the quiet pain of being misgendered in ostensibly non-hostile environments and the fear of being perceived as inconvenient or rude.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Despite their obvious differences in setting and premise, each one conveys the difficulty of imagining a future amid an apprehensive present.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is exactly the kind of mainstream Christian view that enrages Allie Beth Stuckey.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This enrages Rebecca, who demands half his new salary, and the pair engage in a battle for control.—
Ilana Gordon,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Over the summer, Thibault-DuDonis usually assigns everyone on her staff a project.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The system assigns scores to prioritize restoration projects and measures characteristics such as organism diversity, stream pattern and vegetation growth.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Could this be the anarchic mind that emerges when the ego relinquishes its hold?—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
If a player chooses not to negotiate with the Panthers, that player will be unable to sign elsewhere, unless Carolina relinquishes his rights by not offering him a tender.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The celebratory mood sours a bit, however, when word reaches the moms that Dakota is back at the house.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
As public opinion sours radically on ICE, Schumer can up the ante.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienates. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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