as in displeasing
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1
as in angering
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ceding
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
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Recent Examples of alienating
Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
But Beau is a very strange, alienating, ambitious, experimental film, and my hope is that people find it over the years.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Johnson’s familiarity is key to bringing audiences close to Kerr and helps the film overcome its potentially alienating storyline.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Their approach is assertive and inviting rather than aggressive and alienating.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The constant stream of news about the chaos of the economy can be both disturbing and alienating, but Rodgers points out that staying connected with others can be crucial during the present political climate.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
Mike Winters, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Like Joe Biden’s election a year earlier, his win was a triumph of the Democratic Party’s moderate Black base over the radical-chic faculty liberals and their alienating ideas.
—Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead of alienating such global swing states, the United States should be working with them.
—Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2025
As consumer expectations for brand values rise, many companies are unsure how to communicate social purpose without alienating customers.
—Tensie Whelan, Harvard Business Review, 24 Oct. 2025
Far from being doomed by his polarizing legacy, Republicans are poised to emerge as the party of the sensible center, representing the non-polarized public, while Democrats, mired in anti-Trump fervor, risk alienating the masses with diminished appeal.
—Nafees Alam, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
This decision was partly motivated by the fact that the filmmakers didn't want to risk alienating churchgoers with controversial depictions of demons and Hell.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2025
These methods may energize some audiences but risk alienating others.
—Andrew Rojecki, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
The goal is to make the right person feel at home, without alienating anybody else.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
This and more made growing up in Florida a strange experience both warm and alienating.
—Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
But Beau is a very strange, alienating, ambitious, experimental film, and my hope is that people find it over the years.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Johnson’s familiarity is key to bringing audiences close to Kerr and helps the film overcome its potentially alienating storyline.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Their approach is assertive and inviting rather than aggressive and alienating.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The constant stream of news about the chaos of the economy can be both disturbing and alienating, but Rodgers points out that staying connected with others can be crucial during the present political climate.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
That said, price increases at cafés and restaurants often lag the wholesale market, since operators typically buy beans under contract or adjust menus gradually to avoid alienating price-sensitive customers.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Like Joe Biden’s election a year earlier, his win was a triumph of the Democratic Party’s moderate Black base over the radical-chic faculty liberals and their alienating ideas.
—Molly Ball, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead of alienating such global swing states, the United States should be working with them.
—Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2025
As consumer expectations for brand values rise, many companies are unsure how to communicate social purpose without alienating customers.
—Tensie Whelan, Harvard Business Review, 24 Oct. 2025
Far from being doomed by his polarizing legacy, Republicans are poised to emerge as the party of the sensible center, representing the non-polarized public, while Democrats, mired in anti-Trump fervor, risk alienating the masses with diminished appeal.
—Nafees Alam, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
This decision was partly motivated by the fact that the filmmakers didn't want to risk alienating churchgoers with controversial depictions of demons and Hell.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2025
These methods may energize some audiences but risk alienating others.
—Andrew Rojecki, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
The goal is to make the right person feel at home, without alienating anybody else.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienating
Verb
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Trump’s tariffs have backfired in numerous ways, including by angering US farmers – a key voting bloc – and creating a rare-earth shortage.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The confederacy of tribes was pressured into ceding lands to the state of New York, and further displaced by ensuing frontier settlement.—
Matthew Smith,
The Conversation,
20 Oct. 2025
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Now, Middleton has returned to public duties and ceding the spotlight is apparently been hard for Queen Camilla.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Just a year after the bill was passed, it was rolled back to help pay for tax cuts – infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The story served as a springboard for a broader discussion about NBA rivalries, performative toughness and why Haliburton can be both charming and infuriating to opponents.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Block, who’d previously pleaded guilty to playing a role in the Bangkok Six, a smuggling case involving baby orangutans, was given five years of probation for intentionally conveying false information through the mail.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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The petulant, back-stabby intrigue between various parties here sometimes makes the hero rather unsympathetic, with photogenic singer-actor Pena Hernandez’s puppyish turn not conveying a great deal of complexity, let alone artistic o intellectual potential.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So, how can an organization remain current on customers' ever-changing needs and expectations without annoying or estranging them?—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The clip shows Detwiler assigning cooking chores to the G1 humanoid in the first few seconds.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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Presented in Milan earlier this month, CCI assessed 20 fashion companies showing at Milan Fashion Week last month, drawing data from 11 platforms in 50 countries and assigning a score between 0 and 100 according to the three pillars of brand popularity, brand involvement and purchase intent.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Seattle’s defense has made fans think of the glory days when the Legion of Boom was enraging offenses around the league in the early 2010s.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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As part of these reforms, the Royal Navy impounded dozens of merchant vessels for allegedly evading customs duties, enraging merchants as well as mariners, shipwrights, stevedores, and others in port cities whose livelihoods depended on foreign commerce.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Williams, an undersized combo forward who carves out space at will and debated turning pro after a first-team All-Big-12 campaign last year, will be the fulcrum of everything after transferring from Texas Tech.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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They've been charged with receiving, transferring and attempting to receive and transfer firearms knowing and having reasonable cause to believe that they would be used to commit terrorism.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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