Alienating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Instigating a lack of connection that leads to social withdrawal
2. Creating feelings of separation or distance between people that results in emotional detachment
3. Leading to a sense of being excluded or emotionally disconnected from a group or individual

Etymology: Before it described cliques and corporate cultures, "alienate" was a word for madness. Middle English used the adjective "alienat" to mean deranged, uncertain, or secluded, a sense that carried over from its Latin source, "alienatus," the past participle of "alienare," meaning to estrange or transfer something away from its owner. The Latin verb in turn comes from "alienus," meaning "of another" or "belonging to someone else," which is also the root of "alien." The modern sense of pushing someone away emotionally grew out of that Latin idea of making something belong to another person. To alienate someone was to turn them into a stranger, and the word's "mad" sense reflected a mind that had drifted away from ordinary reason. "Alienating," the form used here, describes something that creates that sense of being set apart from others.

Synonyms: estranging, isolating

Antonyms: uniting, connecting