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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Irving said that higher ticket fares are required for the industry to remain profitable, but these risk alienating customers.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Scalping tickets wasn’t new, of course, but Kahn believed that its formalization online provided sports teams, and other entertainment businesses, with valuable information about demand that could enable them to make more money without alienating their most loyal fans.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In the sanitized and alienating new surrounds, with the camaraderie of the early Hyperion days but a faint memory, long-simmering discontent about working conditions wouldn’t take long to boil over.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Making competitive Pokémon more approachable is great for the health of the game and its growing community, but only if Champions can do so without alienating its core base of dedicated competitive players.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
The failure is its own, and painting this as the creative team not delivering, and alienating Gellar in the process, only makes reviving the franchise that much harder.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
President Joe Biden used that exact word after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating its ally Turkey.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
It’s been claimed that in the 1930s Hollywood’s Jewish moguls put profits above alienating Adolf Hitler, Germany’s notoriously antisemitic Fuhrer, with anti-Nazi movies.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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
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
Verb
The View From Letterboxd The Letterboxd founders seem keenly aware of the potential for alienating their users — just read their extremely long About Us page, which explains most features and decisions made by the company in detail.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Irving said that higher ticket fares are required for the industry to remain profitable, but these risk alienating customers.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Scalping tickets wasn’t new, of course, but Kahn believed that its formalization online provided sports teams, and other entertainment businesses, with valuable information about demand that could enable them to make more money without alienating their most loyal fans.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
In the sanitized and alienating new surrounds, with the camaraderie of the early Hyperion days but a faint memory, long-simmering discontent about working conditions wouldn’t take long to boil over.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Making competitive Pokémon more approachable is great for the health of the game and its growing community, but only if Champions can do so without alienating its core base of dedicated competitive players.
—Kallie Plagge, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026
The failure is its own, and painting this as the creative team not delivering, and alienating Gellar in the process, only makes reviving the franchise that much harder.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
President Joe Biden used that exact word after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating its ally Turkey.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
It’s been claimed that in the 1930s Hollywood’s Jewish moguls put profits above alienating Adolf Hitler, Germany’s notoriously antisemitic Fuhrer, with anti-Nazi movies.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienating
Adjective
-
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
-
At last year’s COP30 in Brazil, about 80 countries backed a road map to phase out oil, gas and coal, but it was dropped from the final document for lack of consensus, angering many delegates.—
Fabiano Maisonnave,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The unique revelry was appropriate for the rising star who has made headlines by angering veterans with aggressive moves.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Scientists fear the moves will collapse broad investment in fundamental research and talent development, replacing it with a narrow focus on AI, while potentially ceding American scientific dominance to global competitors.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
For the next 5 minutes, 29 seconds, Dallas set up shop in the Wild zone and never left, cycling through four line changes without ceding the puck.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The gap between what Greg and I did—and, more importantly, thought about—became a gigantic infuriating cavern for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
In San Francisco, a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a bodega cat in the city’s Mission District last fall, infuriating residents.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His short but wide-ranging speech broadly touched on a slew of developments between the United Kingdom and the United States, conveying cautious optimism and cultural affection at a time when the relationship seems deeply imperiled.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Apr. 2026
-
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that the EU is ready to work with Persian Gulf countries for new projects conveying energy to global markets that wouldn’t be held hostage to war or geopolitical strife.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Andy begins assigning tough features about meaningful topics outside of which accessories go best with your spring wardrobe, none of which hit with Runway readers.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
-
More faculty are requiring office hours, assigning presentations and cold-calling on students in class.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The culmination of the story is Michael revealing on stage that this would be the Jacksons' last show together, enraging his father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo).—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Orbán had vetoed the bill after initially agreeing to it, enraging EU officials and counterparts across the 27-nation bloc.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alienating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienating. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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