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
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
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
John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In the sanitized and alienating new surrounds, with the camaraderie of the early Hyperion days but a faint memory, long-simmering discontent about working conditions wouldn’t take long to boil over.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Making competitive Pokémon more approachable is great for the health of the game and its growing community, but only if Champions can do so without alienating its core base of dedicated competitive players.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
The failure is its own, and painting this as the creative team not delivering, and alienating Gellar in the process, only makes reviving the franchise that much harder.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
It’s been claimed that in the 1930s Hollywood’s Jewish moguls put profits above alienating Adolf Hitler, Germany’s notoriously antisemitic Fuhrer, with anti-Nazi movies.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Governor Gavin Newsom cannot effectively intervene to pressure candidates to drop out without risking significant political damage, including potential embarrassment if his efforts fail and potentially alienating voters of color whose prominent candidates would likely be targets for exit.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
By combining elements of traditional masculine dressing with the traditionally feminine ballet flat, brands are participating in the trend without alienating shoppers.
—Jack Stanley, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
The enhanced partnership garnered some local criticism recently over JMI partners having exclusivity to use Kentucky logos and uniforms in third-party NIL deals, and questions on whether those constraints might be alienating high-profile basketball recruits who signed elsewhere.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
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
Verb
Scalping tickets wasn’t new, of course, but Kahn believed that its formalization online provided sports teams, and other entertainment businesses, with valuable information about demand that could enable them to make more money without alienating their most loyal fans.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In the sanitized and alienating new surrounds, with the camaraderie of the early Hyperion days but a faint memory, long-simmering discontent about working conditions wouldn’t take long to boil over.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Making competitive Pokémon more approachable is great for the health of the game and its growing community, but only if Champions can do so without alienating its core base of dedicated competitive players.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
The failure is its own, and painting this as the creative team not delivering, and alienating Gellar in the process, only makes reviving the franchise that much harder.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
It’s been claimed that in the 1930s Hollywood’s Jewish moguls put profits above alienating Adolf Hitler, Germany’s notoriously antisemitic Fuhrer, with anti-Nazi movies.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Governor Gavin Newsom cannot effectively intervene to pressure candidates to drop out without risking significant political damage, including potential embarrassment if his efforts fail and potentially alienating voters of color whose prominent candidates would likely be targets for exit.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
By combining elements of traditional masculine dressing with the traditionally feminine ballet flat, brands are participating in the trend without alienating shoppers.
—Jack Stanley, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
The enhanced partnership garnered some local criticism recently over JMI partners having exclusivity to use Kentucky logos and uniforms in third-party NIL deals, and questions on whether those constraints might be alienating high-profile basketball recruits who signed elsewhere.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 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
-
Mamdani’s also done an about-face on the city’s rental assistance program, CityFHEPs, angering progressive allies.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
This causes a rift within the family, particularly angering the eldest son, Erik, who feels deeply betrayed.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The chipmaker is in the midst of a multiyear effort to restore its technological leadership after years of ceding market share to rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While ad revenue is on the upswing for streaming outlets like Paramount+ and Pluto, the company’s longstanding TV networks have been ceding precious ad dollars to other venues.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The gap between what Greg and I did—and, more importantly, thought about—became a gigantic infuriating cavern for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
In San Francisco, a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a bodega cat in the city’s Mission District last fall, infuriating residents.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gattelli, who also choreographed the TV series, does much of his best work here through dance, a hypervigorous storm of limbs that manages to be funny while conveying story and character.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The story is something of a palimpsest, with Romvari’s own perspective intertwining with the character’s and conveying a sense of being both inside and outside the action.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 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
-
Prevost has recounted that at one point Bergoglio had expressed interest in assigning an Augustinian priest to a specific job in his archdiocese.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But for families, the real power move is assigning a bin per person.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Orbán had vetoed the bill after initially agreeing to it, enraging EU officials and counterparts across the 27-nation bloc.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
But every single thing that is enraging us about what’s going on at the federal level is also happening right here in Tarrant County.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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