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the act of , or of causing someone to become indifferent or hostile:
The advocacy group fights against prejudice and social alienation of immigrants.
the state of being , withdrawn, or isolated from the objective world, as through indifference or disaffection:
the group’s alienation from mainstream society.
the act of turning away, transferring, or diverting:
the alienation of land and resources from African peoples.
Law. a transfer of the title to property by one person to another; conveyance.
Statistics. the lack of correlation in the variation of two measurable variates over a population.
Contemporary Examples

Moreover, the continuing antics of Republicans on Capitol Hill has deepened the alienation of Jewish voters.
How the Chuck Hagel Fight Changed the American Jewish Landscape in Washington J. J. Goldberg August 19, 2013

But The Dog surpasses simply documenting the alienation endemic in the 21st-century global village.
Joseph O’Neill’s ‘The Dog’ Has a Dystopian Dubai as Modernity’s Stand-In J.P. O’Malley September 7, 2014

Nor need we spend much time agonizing over teenage “alienation” as though this was some hitherto mysterious, unknown phenomenon.
Stop Politicizing the Riots Alex Massie August 8, 2011

Count the continuing obsession with conspiracy, the dominance of fantasy, the exploitation of prejudice and alienation.
The Right-Wing Backlash Against John Roberts Robert Shrum July 2, 2012

Cynicism, alienation, and disaffection will not move us forward.
March on Washington Anniversary: a Lesson for Change Hedrick Smith August 27, 2012

Historical Examples

Gifts or alienation of land to guilds, fraternities, or towns are forbidden.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed. S. A. Reilly

His widow, in spite of their alienation, mourned long and deeply.
Beaux and Belles of England Mary Robinson

There is no real separation, except in alienation of spirit, and that can never come—to us.
Village Life in America 1852-1872 Caroline Cowles Richards

There was evidence in the legal papers that alienation of these farms was not allowed.
The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 Various

We have now come sooner than I expected to the alienation I have all along apprehended.
The Correspondence of Madame, Princess Palatine, Mother of the Regent; of Marie-Adlade de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne; and of Madame de Maintenon, in Relation to Saint-Cyr Charlotte-Elisabeth, duchesse d Orlans; Marie Adelaide, of Savoy, Duchess of Burgundy; and Madame de Maintenon

noun
a turning away; estrangement
the state of being an outsider or the feeling of being isolated, as from society
(psychiatry) a state in which a person’s feelings are inhibited so that eventually both the self and the external world seem unreal
(law)

the transfer of property, as by conveyance or will, into the ownership of another
the right of an owner to dispose of his property

n.

“transfer of ownership,” late 14c., from Old French alienacion and directly from Latin alienationem (nominative alienatio) “a transfer, surrender,” noun of action from past participle stem of alienare (see alienate). It also meant “loss or derangement of mental faculties, insanity” (late 15c.), hence alienist. Phrase alienation of affection as a U.S. legal term in divorce cases for “falling in love with someone else” dates to 1861.

alienation al·ien·a·tion (āl’yə-nā’shən, ā’lē-ə-)
n.
A state of estrangement between the self and the objective world or between different parts of the personality.
alienation [(ay-lee-uh-nay-shuhn)]

A feeling of separation or isolation. In social science, alienation is associated with the problems caused by rapid social change, such as industrialization and urbanization (see Industrial Revolution), which has broken down traditional relationships among individuals and groups and the goods and services they produce.

Note: Alienation is most often associated with minorities, the poor, the unemployed, and other groups who have limited power to bring about changes in society.

Note: Marxism holds that workers in capitalist nations are alienated because they have no claim to ownership of the products they make.