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
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
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 2026
The two disagreed on whether data centers should connect to the grid, with Neugebauer alienating a potential customer.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
The View From Letterboxd The Letterboxd founders seem keenly aware of the potential for alienating their users — just read their extremely long About Us page, which explains most features and decisions made by the company in detail.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Irving said that higher ticket fares are required for the industry to remain profitable, but these risk alienating customers.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
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
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
That’s Joel Schumacher’s 1993 revenge thriller about a fed-up white Angeleno who embarks on a violent odyssey across an alienating urban hellscape to reunite with his daughter.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 2026
The two disagreed on whether data centers should connect to the grid, with Neugebauer alienating a potential customer.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
The View From Letterboxd The Letterboxd founders seem keenly aware of the potential for alienating their users — just read their extremely long About Us page, which explains most features and decisions made by the company in detail.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Irving said that higher ticket fares are required for the industry to remain profitable, but these risk alienating customers.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienating
Adjective
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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
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The economic cost of the war is now palpable – with cell-phone data outages that regularly blight major cities angering even the pro-Putin bourgeoisie – adding to a sense of the war beginning to hit the urban elite, who until now were mostly isolated from the invasion’s impact.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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Starmer’s comments risk angering many within his party, who will take issue with his linking of antisemitism with pro-Palestinian activism.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The event came as Buffett, the 95-year-old chairman who has defined the gathering for decades, is no longer expected to headline the marquee Q&A session in the same way, ceding the spotlight to Greg Abel, who took over as CEO at the beginning of 2026.—
Yun Li,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
-
Other members who spoke to reporters at Nature News told the outlet that the board was set to meet on May 5 and planned to release a report on how the US is ceding ground to China on scientific endeavors.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
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His short but wide-ranging speech broadly touched on a slew of developments between the United Kingdom and the United States, conveying cautious optimism and cultural affection at a time when the relationship seems deeply imperiled.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Apr. 2026
-
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that the EU is ready to work with Persian Gulf countries for new projects conveying energy to global markets that wouldn’t be held hostage to war or geopolitical strife.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 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
-
Other alleged violations included a failure to give timely responses to claims, provide a factual or legal basis for claim denials and give victims a primary point of contact after assigning three or more adjusters in a six-month period.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
The company also caused confusion for a customer after assigning a dozen claim adjusters to the case within four months.—
Tran Nguyen,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The culmination of the story is Michael revealing on stage that this would be the Jacksons' last show together, enraging his father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo).—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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