Alienations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of feeling estranged or disconnected from something, typically in a social or emotional context
2. The process whereby a person becomes withdrawn or disengaged from relationships or communities, leading to isolation
3. The act of making someone feel unwelcome or unwanted, creating a sense of separation from others or one's environment

Etymology: "Alienations" is simply the plural of "alienation," so the history belongs to the singular. The noun passed into English from Old French "alienacion," which itself came from the Latin "aliēnātiō," a noun built on "aliēnāre," meaning to make something belong to another or to estrange. The Latin root "alienus" means "of another" or "belonging to someone else," and it is the same root behind "alien" and "alienate." In Middle English the word carried a legal and property sense: transferring ownership of land or goods to someone else. The idea of estrangement between people, which is the sense behind this plural, grew out of that notion of something passing away from its rightful owner. A thing once held close became a thing held by another, and the step from property to people was a short one.

Synonyms: estrangements, disconnections, separations, isolation, detachment

Antonyms: connections, attachments, relationships, integration, involvement