as in estrangement
the loss of friendship or affection
after years of alienation from her family, she became reconciled with them when her father fell ill
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Recent Examples of alienation
That classic capitalist disconnect — the alienation of the worker from their labor — fascinated him, and gave him the confidence that his premise would have universal resonance.
—
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Her daughter Auri has been denied from courses based on her diagnosis alone and has faced alienation at the park, her favorite place to be.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Feb. 2026
While his early films were about becoming human again, about using the fiction of cinema to make someone more real, his recent work has tacked in the opposite direction—intensifying alienation to such an extent that the human disappears.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
His poems distilled the tension between belonging and alienation, capturing a society where every day life persisted under the long shadow of armed checkpoints and simmering mistrust.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alienation
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
Her daughter Auri has been denied from courses based on her diagnosis alone and has faced alienation at the park, her favorite place to be.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Feb. 2026
While his early films were about becoming human again, about using the fiction of cinema to make someone more real, his recent work has tacked in the opposite direction—intensifying alienation to such an extent that the human disappears.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
His poems distilled the tension between belonging and alienation, capturing a society where every day life persisted under the long shadow of armed checkpoints and simmering mistrust.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alienation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienation
estrangement
Noun
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But during the couple’s bitter and years-long divorce battle, the domestic violence allegations resurfaced and reportedly contributed to the actor’s estrangement from most, if not all, of his six children.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
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Since the death of her second husband, the art teacher, the estrangement from her family has weighed heavier.—
Elaine Blair,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienation. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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