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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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
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 May 2026
Distracted balances its celeb soiree with Southern California’s sinister edge, the malaise and monotony that can make sunny days so alienating.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
The move followed public pressure and criticism regarding Mamdani’s past rhetoric concerning Israel, which some Jewish community members find deeply offensive and alienating.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Novels like Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch depict the surreal and alienating days of early parenthood with an eye to de-glamorizing the post-partum experience.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
But by the summer of 2022, my toddler son and I were often the only Black folks on the playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a fact that felt both alienating and surreal.
—Naomi Jackson, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
The bit, pretentious and alienating, went viral for the wrong reasons.
—Will Tavlin, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 June 2026
Support for individual data centers already approved for zoning across the county has fallen along similar lines, attracting construction unions and school systems while alienating neighbors.
—Ilana Arougheti
june 1, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
Politically, this strategy of watering down her own initiatives to avoid alienating interest groups might have worked, if not for the fires.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Of course, embracing outsider thinking without alienating the insiders who get shows on the air is a tightrope walk.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Sokoloff blamed Mejia himself for alienating city officials and motivating them to cut his resources.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Why, at a time when MLB has otherwise built positive momentum, would the league pursue such an acrimonious change, and risk alienating fans with a work stoppage?
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In lesser hands, such a hero could be an insufferable scold, or alienating chaos agent.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Norma Kamali repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to experiment publicly in ways that risked confusing or even alienating the fashion establishment, something relatively unusual in an industry historically obsessed with image control, aspiration and exclusivity.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Adjective
As the lens follows Dua, often up close and from behind, this mode of expression proves alternately absorbing and alienating.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 May 2026
Distracted balances its celeb soiree with Southern California’s sinister edge, the malaise and monotony that can make sunny days so alienating.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
The move followed public pressure and criticism regarding Mamdani’s past rhetoric concerning Israel, which some Jewish community members find deeply offensive and alienating.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Novels like Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch depict the surreal and alienating days of early parenthood with an eye to de-glamorizing the post-partum experience.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
But by the summer of 2022, my toddler son and I were often the only Black folks on the playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a fact that felt both alienating and surreal.
—Naomi Jackson, Curbed, 11 Feb. 2026
The bit, pretentious and alienating, went viral for the wrong reasons.
—Will Tavlin, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Verb
Weiss is betting Bilton can bring new viewers to the program without alienating its current crop of die-hards.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 June 2026
Support for individual data centers already approved for zoning across the county has fallen along similar lines, attracting construction unions and school systems while alienating neighbors.
—Ilana Arougheti
june 1, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
Politically, this strategy of watering down her own initiatives to avoid alienating interest groups might have worked, if not for the fires.
—Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Of course, embracing outsider thinking without alienating the insiders who get shows on the air is a tightrope walk.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Sokoloff blamed Mejia himself for alienating city officials and motivating them to cut his resources.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Why, at a time when MLB has otherwise built positive momentum, would the league pursue such an acrimonious change, and risk alienating fans with a work stoppage?
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In lesser hands, such a hero could be an insufferable scold, or alienating chaos agent.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Norma Kamali repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to experiment publicly in ways that risked confusing or even alienating the fashion establishment, something relatively unusual in an industry historically obsessed with image control, aspiration and exclusivity.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienating
Adjective
-
While certain oils work well together (like lemon and tea tree, sweet orange and cinnamon, peppermint and rosemary), aim to mix only two to three oils when blending to avoid a displeasing or overpowering fragrance.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In the biblical Tower of Babel story, humans are driven by hubris to try to create a tower tall enough to touch the sky, angering God in the process.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
Mando has a brush with death after unwisely angering the Hutts, who task him with hunting down Jabba's son, Rotta (Jeremy Allen White).—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
There wasn’t even enough time for a true Valve or Nintendo competitor to emerge — no other manufacturer ever meaningfully challenged them on price, ceding the market accordingly.—
Sean Hollister,
The Verge,
28 May 2026
-
College football’s lucrative television deals come at the price of schools ceding control of their kickoff times to media partners.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s no ghastly passenger touchscreen, no dimwitted haptic touchpads and no infuriating AI assistant.—
Alistair Charlton,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The film can also feel infuriating — quite intentionally so.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
In people with insulin resistance, the insulin becomes less effective at conveying glucose into the cells properly.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
-
Resolution received access to 2,422 acres near the historic Magma mine, while conveying more than 5,400 acres of environmentally and culturally sensitive land into permanent conservation.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The problem emerged when FIFA began assigning actual seat locations.—
Corey Martin,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
As of Friday, the market is assigning a 42% chance of no rate cuts by year-end, a 41% chance of a quarter-point hike, and a 15% chance of two hikes, according to the CME FedWatch Tool .—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima,
CNBC,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
In May 2021, after being elected to Parliament, Ben-Gvir established a makeshift office in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, enraging local residents.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
-
This is a sad story, an enraging one, a maddening one.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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