Alienate

Alienate is a verb with several related meanings. In social and psychological contexts, to alienate means to cause someone to feel isolated, estranged, or hostile, often through words, actions, or circumstances. A person may alienate a partner, friend, or family member, and institutions or policies can alienate a community or group. The noun form is alienation, which describes the state or process of becoming estranged.

In legal contexts, alienate refers to transferring ownership or title of property to another person. Property is alienated when it is conveyed, sold, or gifted. The term also appears in the concept of alienation of affections, a tort that in some jurisdictions allows a spouse to sue a third party believed to have caused the loss of the other spouse’s affection. In real estate finance, an alienation clause (sometimes called a due-on-sale clause) is used by lenders to restrict or accelerate the repayment of a loan upon transfer of the property.

Etymology traces alienate to Latin alienare, meaning to transfer to another, from alienus meaning “belonging to another.” Related terms include alienable, meaning capable of being transferred or sold, and inalienable, meaning not transferable or surrenderable.

Notes and usage patterns: alienation is often viewed negatively in social contexts, signaling damaged relationships. In property law, alienation is a neutral technical term describing the act of transferring rights or title. While related, alienation and estrangement cover overlapping but distinct domains—one primarily legal or transactional, the other interpersonal.