alienation
noun
alien·ation
ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən 
ˌāl-yə-
1
: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affections from an object or position of former attachment : estrangement
alienation … from the values of one's society and family—
S. L. Halleck
S. L. Halleck2
: a conveyance of property to another
Examples of alienation in a Sentence
after years of alienation from her family, she became reconciled with them when her father fell ill
Recent Examples on the Web
The reports included accounts of both Jewish and Muslim students dealing with profound grief over the deaths of loved ones, concerns for their safety and feelings of alienation and academic censorship.
—Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
That sense of alienation, that sense of a slight remove, something bubbling under the surface—that’s as New York a story as glamour or whatever else.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
With its waves of electronica, its foregrounding of style, its pendulum swings between romanticism and alienation, the movie turned out to be one of the harbingers of what many deemed the MTV aesthetic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2025
While the world is transfixed on America’s needless alienation of longtime American ally Ukraine, another American ally has come under fire from the administration.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienation
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Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
That sense of alienation, that sense of a slight remove, something bubbling under the surface—that’s as New York a story as glamour or whatever else.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
With its waves of electronica, its foregrounding of style, its pendulum swings between romanticism and alienation, the movie turned out to be one of the harbingers of what many deemed the MTV aesthetic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2025
While the world is transfixed on America’s needless alienation of longtime American ally Ukraine, another American ally has come under fire from the administration.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienation
Cite this Entry
“Alienation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alienation. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alienation
noun
alien·ation
ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən
ˌāl-yə-ˈnā-
1
: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affection from an object of past attachment
2
: a transfer of property to another
Medical Definition
alienation
noun
alien·ation
ˌā-lē-ə-ˈnā-shən, ˌāl-yə-
: a withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affections from an object or position of former attachment
alienation … from the values of one's society and family—S. L. Halleck
S. L. HalleckLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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