1
as in to infuriate
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cede
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alienate
Some experts worry that public officials risk alienating more residents across Altadena by not providing answers.
—
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Sister Midnight has almost nothing in common with Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, and yet I was constantly reminded of Taxi Driver, in its formal liveliness as well as its presentation of a character who is alienated from the crowd and yet very much of it.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Republicans, who hope to push the bill through by Memorial Day, now face a balancing act of appeasing the holdouts with budget cuts without alienating more moderate Republicans whose votes will be needed to pass the bill.
—Peter Coy, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Brands that fail to understand the broader impact of financial strain risk alienating a key generation of future customers.
—Nandan Sheth, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienate
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025
Sister Midnight has almost nothing in common with Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, and yet I was constantly reminded of Taxi Driver, in its formal liveliness as well as its presentation of a character who is alienated from the crowd and yet very much of it.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Republicans, who hope to push the bill through by Memorial Day, now face a balancing act of appeasing the holdouts with budget cuts without alienating more moderate Republicans whose votes will be needed to pass the bill.
—Peter Coy, New York Times, 17 May 2025
Brands that fail to understand the broader impact of financial strain risk alienating a key generation of future customers.
—Nandan Sheth, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for alienate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alienate
Verb
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The Democrats’ response to the frenzy of executive actions has infuriated the party’s liberal base, which loudly accused Democratic leaders of failing to push back against an aggressive White House in ways that meet the urgency of the moment.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
1 June 2025
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Navigating through these help desk mazes can be infuriating and time consuming.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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In some ways, NASA has long been moving in this direction, beginning with initiatives ceding most launch services to private industry in the 1990s.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
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The Denali Commission took on project management responsibilities in 2016 but ceded control to the BIA three years ago after the agency announced a $25 million grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.—
Emily Schwing,
ProPublica,
29 May 2025
Verb
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The move, which the governor said was necessary to increase collaboration and mentorship among civil servants, angered state workers and the labor groups representing them.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
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Additionally, reports had indicated that President Xi was angered over the transaction since Hutchison did not ask for approval of the deal in advance.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The only landmark policy that Democrats conveyed to the American people in a half-century is the Affordable Care Act.—
Alexander Heffner,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2025
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With the doors flung open and sun dappling the eclectic interiors, Ngoc Minh Ngo’s photos really convey the easy-breezy quality of summer life for the lucky family.—
Amy Astley,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2025
Verb
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In the surreal fictional section, estranged friends reconnect on Christmas and rehash the past while questioning whether a foreboding bloodlike substance leaking out into the hallway is real.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
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Throughout the changes in Tish and Billy Ray’s love lives, rumors that Miley was estranged from her dad continuously circulated.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Despite bipartisan and nearly unequivocal support for Gypsum Canyon in the intervening four years, Agran has refused to relinquish his goal of completing a veterans cemetery in Irvine.—
Jonathan Horwitz,
Oc Register,
28 May 2025
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Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolina museum devoted to African American history as part of a settlement with one of the subjects’ descendants.—
Leah Willingham,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Summer schedules since have been filled with other shows like Big Brother, Love Island USA, and various iterations of The Bachelor franchise keeping viewers entertained and/or enraged ever since.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
31 May 2025
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Market volatility has enraged Democrats and worried many Republicans as the country experiences whiplash from tariff announcements, leaving many people worried about their finances.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Deputy Prosecutors Tim Brown and Lindsey Lanham were assigned.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
31 May 2025
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When fully staffed, a forecast office typically assigns rotating shifts to 12 or 15 operational workers in order to cover a complete 24-hour schedule.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alienate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alienate. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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