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
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
Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
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
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
For Bangladesh, the potential catastrophe of not tackling cascading environmental challenges justifies the risk of alienating its far more powerful neighbor.
—Pintu Kumar Mahla, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
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
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
-
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 hosts, after ceding control of Game 1, pressed Miami and made the match scrappy.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
So many seem eager to be rid of the labors of thought and expression—the very labors that define them as free and autonomous human beings—by ceding them to generative artificial intelligence.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This toy mildly infuriating me.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
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A day after a fire destroyed his home just outside Coral Gables, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was remarkably upbeat Friday, conveying gratitude to everyone who has reached out to offer help and expressing relief that nobody was injured in the blaze.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The voice performances are consistently excellent, with young Hoang-Rappaport and Janssen amusingly energetic and Liu and Milioti conveying understated emotion as the parents going through a rough patch.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 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
-
One director of the Innocenti, who came aboard in the mid-fifteen-hundreds, simply stopped assigning girls to outside domestic work, owing to rampant rape and abuse.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
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In the Thursday hearing, Friedman set Curran’s bond at $6,000, assigning a $1,000 for the injunction violation and $5,000 for the battery, records show.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats voted to keep the government open back then, enraging Democrats who had wanted to use the pressure point to fight back against the administration.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
5 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
-
When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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That could involve upgrading technology or equipment, or transferring locations to new operators.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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