Definition of Alienation
(noun) The estrangement of individuals from themselves and others; a feeling of normlessness and powerlessness caused by separation and isolation from an individual’s sense of self, society, and work.
Alienation Pronunciation
Syllabification: al·ien·a·tion
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /ay-lee-uh-nAY-shuhn/
- British English – /ay-liuh-nAY-shuhn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌeɪliəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
- British English – /ˌeɪlɪəˈneɪʃn/
Usage Note
- Plural: alienations
Related Video
Additional Information
Related Terms
- bourgeoisie
- capitalism
- communism
- division of labor
- false consciousness
- Marx, Karl
- religion
- society
- Weber, Max
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Cite the Definition of Alienation
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “alienation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/alienation/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
alienation. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/alienation/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “alienation.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/alienation/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“alienation.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Sep. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/alienation/>.