Alienation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌeɪli.əˈneɪʃən/

Definitions

1. A feeling of being isolated, estranged, or disconnected from others, society, or one's own sense of self
2. The state of experiencing a sense of detachment from one's community, a sense of separation from interpersonal connections, or a disconnection from one's identity
3. A condition characterized by the lack of social belonging, the estrangement from fellow individuals, or the disassociation from personal self-understanding

Etymology: Latin "alienare" meant to make something belong to someone else, or to estrange a person, and its noun "alienatio" was the act of transferring property or the state of being turned away from someone. That legal sense of handing something over to another owner is the original core, and it still survives in English legal and financial contexts where property or rights are transferred. The word reached English through Middle English "alienacioun" by way of Old French "alienacion," so the sense of separation from people or society came later, as the idea of being turned away from one's own community grew out of the older notion of something being taken out of one's hands. Only later did it come to describe the inner feeling of estrangement from others and from oneself.

Synonyms: estrangement, separation, disconnection, isolation

Antonyms: connection, union, reconciliation, inclusion, integration