aliénation

alienation

noun ah-lyeh-nah-SYOHN Rare

Origin: Latin alienatio, from alienare 'to make foreign'

Also means

estrangement

Usage Note

Aliénation is central to Marxist thought, where it describes a worker's disconnect from the product of their labour. The phrase aliénation mentale is the older legal and medical term for what is now called mental illness. A related adjective is aliéné, meaning both 'estranged' and, historically, 'insane'.

Examples

"L'aliénation du travailleur est un thème marxiste."

Natural Translation

The alienation of the worker is a Marxist theme.

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