Synonyms of alienating

alienating 1 of 2

adjective

as in displeasing

Related Words

• displeasing
• disaffecting
• repulsive
• uningratiating
• repugnant
• unendearing
• arrogant
• insolent
• haughty
• scornful
• disdainful
• proud

Dissimilar Words

• winning
• ingratiating
• endearing
• charming
• disarming
• lovable
• likable
• adorable
• insinuating
• affecting
• winsome
• touching
• poignant

alienating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of alienate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• angering
• infuriating
• estranging
• enraging
• outraging
• souring
• disaffecting
• antagonizing
• disappointing
• severing
• annoying
• irritating
• dividing
• disgruntling
• aggravating
• embittering
• aliening
• bothering
• splitting
• dissociating
• inflaming
• riling
• disillusioning
• maddening
• incensing
• separating
• exasperating
• disuniting
• roiling
• rankling
• irking
• sundering
• disenchanting
• uncoupling
• envenoming
• unlinking
• nettling
• vexing
• bugging
• unyoking
• galling
• chafing
• grating
• piquing
• peeving
• breaking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reconciling
• ingratiating
• endearing
• appeasing
• disarming
• placating
• pacifying
• conciliating
• mollifying
• propitiating

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ceding
• conveying
• assigning
• transferring
• relinquishing
• bequeathing
• donating
• lending
• leaving
• entrusting
• deeding
• granting
• disposing of
• moving
• contributing
• renting
• loaning
• aliening
• making over
• leasing
• presenting
• transmitting
• passing (down)
• passing
• surrendering
• bestowing
• commending
• committing
• trusting
• conferring
• consigning
• yielding
• willing
• delivering
• handing down
• releasing
• turning in
• vesting
• letting
• turning over
• handing over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expropriating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of alienating

Adjective

If the American Dream feels out of reach, and college seems like an expensive obstacle, calls to take them seriously may feel inauthentic, alienating and absurd. — Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

What is rarely acknowledged is how alienating — and old school! — Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026

Revealing Sugar’s true nature most of the way through the first season was a miscalculation of what might hook an audience into its sci-fi-noir premise, more alienating (no pun intended) than inviting to be sure. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 June 2026

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

Verb

Trump’s policies have generated blowback on the right, alienating some prominent supporters and dividing the GOP heading into the midterm election. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Ignoring these nuanced cultural landscapes risks alienating consumers and undermining product credibility. — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Trump pushed legal limits with boat strikes, alienating allies, but traffickers adapted. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 28 July 2026

The president and his advisers, the newspaper said, have concerns about expanding the conflict, depleting ​defense stockpiles, alienating Middle East Gulf allies and affecting energy supplies and the global economy. — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 26 July 2026

Accusations of racial profiling have long plagued the department, alienating generations of Black and brown Angelenos. — Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Musk has his own army of devout followers, too, but the difference is that Musk is constantly miserable, alienating even some of his own followers with his extreme takes. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 July 2026

Attacking those schools — and the school board members, teachers and staff who run them — means alienating institutions that have served as pillars of their local communities for decades. — Trinity Webster-Bass, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026

Dictators who liberalize then risk alienating their ruling coalition. — José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026