alienation

/eɪliəˈneɪʃɪn/

/eɪliɛˈneɪʃən/

Other forms: alienations

An easy way to experience alienation from your nice-smelling friends is to go a month without bathing. Alienation is a state of being cut off or separate from a person or group of people.

The noun alienation describes the feeling that you're not part of a group. Your political views might cause you to feel a sense of alienation from the rest of your family, or your vegetarianism could result in alienation from your meat-eating friends. The Latin word for alien is alienus, "belonging to another." That idea of not belonging, or not fitting in, gave rise to the Latin verb alienare, "to estrange," which alienation comes from.

Definitions of alienation

1. noun

   the action of alienating; the action of causing to become unfriendly
   type of:

   action

   something done (usually as opposed to something said)
2. noun

   separation resulting from hostility
   synonyms: estrangement

   type of:

   isolation

   a state of separation between persons or groups
3. noun

   the feeling of being alienated from other people
   synonyms: disaffection, estrangement

   types:

   isolation

   a feeling of being disliked and alone

   type of:

   dislike

   a feeling of aversion or antipathy
4. noun

   (law) the voluntary and absolute transfer of title and possession of real property from one person to another
   “the power of alienation is an essential ingredient of ownership”

   type of:

   transfer, transference

   transferring ownership