Alienator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who instigates feelings of separation and discord among people or within groups A figure who evokes a sense of alienation and detachment in social interactions An agent that leads to emotional withdrawal and disconnection in various relationships
2. An individual who causes others to feel isolated or estranged from a group or relationship
3. One who induces separation or division among people, leading to a breakdown in unity

Etymology: "Alienate" began as a legal term before it described people drifting apart. Its Latin source, "alienare," meant to make something belong to someone else, and English kept that sense for transferring property or rights to another owner. The emotional sense of estranging people developed from that idea of something passing away from its rightful holder. The root, "alienus," means "belonging to another" and comes from "alius," meaning "other." The ending "-or" marks the doer of an action, as in "actor" or "governor," so "alienator" names the one who sets people apart rather than the estrangement itself.

Synonyms: estranger