alienate
gb/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt/ us/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt/
B2
Engleză
~ 8800
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B2
action
1
make someone feel distant and unwelcome
to make someone feel that they are not part of a group or not liked by other people
Tipar de utilizare:
to alienate [someone] (from [someone]/[something])
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "alienate" with "alien" and think it is mainly about something foreign or from another country. In this common sense, "alienate" is about making someone feel they do not belong emotionally or socially. Another mistake is using it without an object, e.g., saying *"He alienates"* instead of *"He alienates his friends"* or *"He feels alienated"*.
Sinonime
estrange (Slightly more formal; often used about family members or close relationships becoming distant.)
|
isolate (Focuses more on being alone physically or socially, not always on hurt feelings.)
|
distance (Suggests creating emotional or social distance, sometimes more gradual or deliberate.)
Antonime
include (Means to make someone part of a group, the opposite of making them feel shut out.)
|
reconcile (Means to restore a friendly relationship, the opposite direction of causing distance.)
Colocații
alienate friends and family
|alienate people
|alienate those around you
|feel alienated from society
|alienate colleagues
|alienate loved ones
Teme
relationships
|emotions
|society
|communication
Exemple
- His constant criticism began to alienate his closest friends.
- Working every weekend has alienated her from her family.
- The teenager felt alienated from his classmates after changing schools.
- If you never listen, you will eventually alienate the people who care about you.
- The company’s strict dress code has alienated younger employees who want a more relaxed culture.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- His rude jokes alienate the people around him.
- She feels alienated from her old friends now.
- Moving to a new country can alienate you from your family back home.
- Parents should not alienate one child by always praising the other.
- He does not want to alienate his new classmates, so he is very polite.
Verb
B2
action
2
make someone stop supporting you
to make people stop liking you, trusting you, or supporting you because of what you do or say
Tipar de utilizare:
to alienate [group of people]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may use "lose" when "alienate" would be more precise in formal writing, e.g., *"The party lost many voters"* instead of *"The party alienated many voters"*. "Lose" describes the result; "alienate" emphasizes that your own actions caused people to stop supporting you.
Sinonime
alienate_verb_cause_social_isolation (This is actually sense 1 of the same word; here the focus is specifically on losing support or loyalty, often in political or business contexts.)
|
turn away (Common phrasal verb meaning to cause people to lose interest or support and go elsewhere.)
|
drive away (Suggests strongly pushing people away so they no longer want to be connected with you.)
Antonime
win over (Means to successfully gain someone’s support or approval, the opposite of losing it.)
|
retain (Means to keep customers, staff, or supporters instead of losing them.)
Colocații
alienate voters
|alienate customers
|alienate supporters
|alienate your base
|alienate key stakeholders
|alienate the public
Teme
politics
|business
|society
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The new tax plan could alienate many middle‑class voters.
- Poor customer service is starting to alienate their most loyal clients.
- His harsh comments on social media alienated a lot of his supporters.
- If the company cuts too many jobs, it will alienate its remaining staff.
- The decision to charge extra fees may alienate existing customers.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- High prices can alienate customers.
- The politician does not want to alienate young voters.
- Bad service in the store will alienate people.
- Her angry speech alienated some fans.
- The team’s actions may alienate their supporters.
Verb
technical
C1
action
3
legally transfer property ownership
to legally give or sell your property or rights to another person so you are no longer the owner
Tipar de utilizare:
to alienate [property]/[rights] to [someone]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners often do not realize that "alienate" has this technical legal sense and may misread phrases like "right to alienate the property" as if they were about emotions. In legal texts, it almost always refers to transferring ownership, not making people feel distant.
Sinonime
transfer (General legal term for moving ownership or rights from one person to another.)
|
convey (Formal legal term often used specifically for transferring real estate.)
Antonime
retain (Means to keep ownership instead of transferring it.)
|
acquire (Means to obtain ownership, the opposite role of giving it up.)
Colocații
alienate property
|alienate land
|alienate rights
|freely alienate
|power to alienate
|unable to alienate
Teme
law
|business
|property
|finance
Exemple
- Under the terms of the trust, beneficiaries may not alienate the property for ten years.
- The contract states that the tenant shall not alienate or sublet the premises without written consent.
- He agreed not to alienate any of his shares before the merger is complete.
- Certain cultural artifacts cannot be alienated from state ownership.
- The deed explicitly reserves the owner’s right to alienate the land at any time.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The law says he cannot alienate the land for five years.
- She plans to alienate her shares to her children.
- The contract limits his power to alienate the property.
- Some rights are very hard to alienate.
- The company may alienate these assets in the future.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
alienate
IPA
GB/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt/
US/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt/
Silabe și accent
ali - en - ate (3 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (ali)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: alienate
- 3rd Person Singular: alienates
- Present Participle: alienating
- Past: alienated
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
alienates
verb
alienating
verb
alienated
verb
Core family
alienation
noun C1
Related words
alien
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
alienable
adjective
inalienable
adjective
Expresii
alienate someone from something
1/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt sˈʌmwˌʌn fɹˈʌm sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
make someone feel not part of something
to make a person feel that they do not belong to a particular group, place, or activity anymore
Exemple
- Strict rules can alienate young people from traditional institutions.
- Long working hours have alienated him from his friends and hobbies.
alienate voters
1/ˈeɪljənˌeɪt vˈoʊtɚz/
fixed phrase
lose political support from voters
to make voters stop liking or supporting a politician or political party
Exemple
- Raising the retirement age could alienate older voters.
- The scandal is likely to alienate many undecided voters.
feel alienated from
1/fˈil ˈeɪliənˌeɪtɪd fɹˈʌm/
fixed phrase
experience a sense of separation
to have the feeling that you do not belong to a group, place, or society
Exemple
- Many older workers feel alienated from the fast‑changing tech industry.
- Immigrants sometimes feel alienated from the culture of their new country.