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
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
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
Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Locking that feature risks alienating casual users who rely on free access.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
The luxury reads as alienating, but maybe it was always supposed to.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
At the same time, the role of the church is to build bridges and not walls, and to create connections instead of alienating people.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
Research has found CEOs risk alienating investors by taking a side that doesn’t align with their beliefs.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Researchers have found that companies risk alienating employees, customers, and investors by taking a side.
—Sharon Epperson,stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Trump should ask himself whether stirring a hornet’s nest serves any purpose other than pointlessly alienating a benevolent neighbor that is beginning to pad its insurance policy by reaching out to non-hemispheric powers.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
ClassPass, the fitness subscription service, illustrates how narrow the line can be between improving conversion and alienating users.
—Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
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
But being too critical of the administration would risk alienating plenty of others.
—Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Locking that feature risks alienating casual users who rely on free access.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
The luxury reads as alienating, but maybe it was always supposed to.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
At the same time, the role of the church is to build bridges and not walls, and to create connections instead of alienating people.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2026
Research has found CEOs risk alienating investors by taking a side that doesn’t align with their beliefs.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Researchers have found that companies risk alienating employees, customers, and investors by taking a side.
—Sharon Epperson,stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Trump should ask himself whether stirring a hornet’s nest serves any purpose other than pointlessly alienating a benevolent neighbor that is beginning to pad its insurance policy by reaching out to non-hemispheric powers.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
ClassPass, the fitness subscription service, illustrates how narrow the line can be between improving conversion and alienating users.
—Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 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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But when the new terminal opened, the historic plane did not make the move, angering aviation enthusiasts.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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What’s more, all that accomplishes is annoying and angering the driver who is being tailgated.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Stalin invaded in November of 1939, expecting a quick takeover, but the Finns inflicted many times more casualties on the Soviets before eventually ceding 11 percent of their territory and partial control over their foreign affairs.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
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Maybe these choices aren’t driven by a fear of ceding audience attention to TikTok so much as by fear of letting a taut story go slack.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The gesture provoked a seismic reaction internationally while infuriating Olympic officials who claimed Smith and Carlos used the world stage to humiliate their home country.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Seeing Sparkle cry about Landfair’s experience — something that Landfair hadn’t fully come to terms with — was discombobulating and infuriating.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hemsworth brings interesting shadings to his role, showcasing the requisite amount of Steve McQueen-style macho cool (the iconic actor is pointedly referenced) but also conveying Davis’ increasing fear and vulnerability.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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The most effective Super Bowl ads this year delivered an emotional or humorous punch while also clearly conveying the importance or utility of their products, according to Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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
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Instead the issue lies in assigning ownership of solutions.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Feb. 2026
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Ochoa also cautioned against assigning major projects to smaller companies lacking technical capacity, pointing to the Petrocedeño project, which was previously operated by France’s TotalEnergies and Norway’s Equinor.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Talking about a movie, good or bad, is free marketing, and Fennell seems to understand better than most that enraging potential ticket-holders is a promotional strategy.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
9 Feb. 2026
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Hulu This startling three-part docuseries tells the unfortunate, enraging story of Larry Ray.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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