AY-lyuh-nayt
/ˈeɪljəˌneɪt/
Alienate is pronounced AY-lyuh-nayt (/ˈeɪljəˌneɪt/). Alienate is a transitive verb meaning to cause someone to become distant or unfriendly; to make someone feel isolated or detached from a group or relationship. It often implies actions that create estrangement, whether deliberate or incidental, leading to reduced intimacy or trust over time.
verbAlienate is a transitive verb meaning to cause someone to become distant or unfriendly; to make someone feel isolated or detached from a group or relationship. It often implies actions that create estrangement, whether deliberate or incidental, leading to reduced intimacy or trust over time.
"The manager attempted to alienate the employee from the rest of the team by withholding information."
"His controversial remarks alienated his friends and colleagues."
"A series of misunderstandings threatened to alienate the couple from their social circle."
Pronunciation break: ə-LI-nate. IPA: US /əˈliː.neɪt/, UK /əˈliː.neɪt/, AU /əˈliː.neɪt/. Primary stress on the second syllable: LI. Start with a schwa in the first syllable, then a clear 'lee' /liː/ and finish with the diphthong /eɪ/ in '-ate'. Tip: keep the mouth slightly wide for /liː/ and finish with a crisp /t/. Audio reference: you can listen to the word pronounced in context on Pronounce or Forvo entries linked to native speakers.
Common mistakes include pronouncing as al-EE-nate with stress on the first syllable, or slurring the second syllable into /b/ or /r/ sounds. Another error is misplacing the /t/ or making the /t/ into a /d/ in rapid speech. Correction tips: ensure the secondary stress lands on /liː/ and pronounce /neɪt/ as a clean /neɪt/ with a crisp terminal /t/. Practice the sequence ə-ˈliː-neɪt with a slight pause between syllables to maintain clarity.
All major accents share /əˈliː.neɪt/ but vowels can shift: US tends to a strong /ˈliː/ and clear /neɪt/; UK often features a slightly shorter /ˈliː/ plus non-rhotic /ˈliː.neɪt/ with muted post-vocalic R not relevant here; AU mirrors US vowel height but with Australian vowel reduction and a flatter /ə/ initial. In connected speech, Americans may reduce to ə-ˈliː.nə-te, while natives may drop the /t/ lightly in rapid speech. Emphasis and rhythm matter less than maintaining /liː/ and /neɪt/.
The challenge lies in the two-stress pattern where the primary stress falls on the second syllable, and the initial weak vowel /ə/ can be reduced, making it easy to misplace stress. The /liː/ consonant cluster requires a clear, elongated vowel before the final /neɪt/ diphthong, and the final /t/ should be crisp in careful speech. Coordinating the soft schwa with the longer /iː/ needs attentive articulation to avoid sounding like 'al-EE-nate' instead of 'ə-LI-e-nate'.
Yes, the second syllable contains the long /iː/ that can easily blur with /ɪ/ in fast speech, and the sequence -li-ne- forms a three-segment nucleus that demands a precise transition from /l/ to /iː/ to /neɪ/. The word’s stress on the second syllable is a common source of mispronunciation when speakers default to a trochaic pattern. Focus on maintaining a steady /liː/ then a deliberate /neɪt/.
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Alienate comes from the Latin alienatus, past participle of alienare, meaning to make other or foreign. alienus means 'of another, foreign, strange' and is related to alienus in Latin, which also gave English alien. The English term entered around the 17th century with legal and philosophical uses, evolving from “to render foreign” or “to disenfranchise” into more social and psychological senses such as causing estrangement. The concept traveled through legal English (to alienate property rights) and social discourse, eventually becoming a common verb meaning to cause someone to feel isolated or hostile toward each other. Its usage broadened from literal displacement to more figurative, interpersonal estrangement, especially in discussions of relationships, loyalty, and social belonging, cementing its modern sense of creating emotional distance or resentment. First known use in English literature traces to the 1600s, with evolving nuance through the centuries as society’s understanding of relationships and social bonds shifted. Today, alienate often appears in political, ethical, and psychological contexts as a descriptor of behavior that fractures group cohesion or personal connections.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Alienate" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Alienate"
-ate sounds
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