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alienate
(redirected from alienates)

   Also found in: Legal 0.06 sec.
al·ien·ate  (ly-nt, l--)
tr.v. al·ien·at·ed, al·ien·at·ing, al·ien·ates
1. To cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange: alienate a friend; alienate potential supporters by taking extreme positions. See Synonyms at estrange.
2. To cause to become withdrawn or unresponsive; isolate or dissociate emotionally: The numbing labor tended to alienate workers.
3. To cause to be transferred; turn away: "He succeeded . . . in alienating the affections of my only ward" (Oscar Wilde).
4. Law To transfer (property or a right) to the ownership of another, especially by an act of the owner rather than by inheritance.

[Latin alinre, alint-, from Latin alinus, alien; see alien.]

alien·ator n.

alienate
Verb
[-ating, -ated]
1. to cause a friend to become unfriendly or hostile
2. Law to transfer the ownership of property to another person
alienation n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.alienate - arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness; "She alienated her friends when she became fanatically religious"
alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
drift apart, drift away - lose personal contact over time; "The two women, who had been roommates in college, drifted apart after they got married"
wean - detach the affections of
2.alienate - transfer property or ownership; "The will aliened the property to the heirs"
transfer - cause to change ownership; "I transferred my stock holdings to my children"
3.alienate - make withdrawn or isolated or emotionally dissociated; "the boring work alienated his employees"
impress, strike, affect, move - have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; "This child impressed me as unusually mature"; "This behavior struck me as odd"

alienate
verb antagonize, anger, annoy, offend, irritate, hassle (informal) gall, repel, estrange, lose the affection of, disaffect, hack off (informal)
Translations
alienate [ˈeɪlɪəneɪt] vtenajenar, alejar
alienate [ˈeɪlɪəneɪt] alien vtaliéner; [subj: person] → s'aliéner
alienate [ˈeɪlɪəneɪt] alien vtentfremden;
(antagonize) → befremden
alienate [ˈeɪlɪəneɪt] vtalienare


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Hanson alienates the patient's mother, who thereupon makes decisions regarding her daughter's care that could possibly add further injury.
What if the Republicans find that attacking us alienates swing voters?
If their support for true marriage alienates them from their white liberal friends, so be it.
 
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