-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

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noun

alienation

ay-lee-uh-NAY-shun/ˌeɪliəˈneɪʃn/

A state of disconnection from others or oneself.

Sitting apart from the sociable group, the adult feels a sense of alienation.

A lonely adult sits apart on a bench while a group socializes some distance away, isolation.

Etymology

alienatLatinto estrange, make another's

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

Alienare could mean making something another person's property, but also estranging someone. Alienation names that separation as an emotional condition: feeling cut off from other people.

In context

Ananas Stars71:15

what markx called the alienation of the thing the song's protagonist preoccupied with material possessions to the point that he becomes estranged from himself and others

Pink Floyd

More examples

The novel explores alienation in a vast, crowded city.
Their prolonged silence deepened the alienation between the brothers.
Creative work helped him confront his feelings of alienation.

Forms

alienate verb — To make someone feel disconnected or estranged.

Similar words

estrangement: Often describes separation after a formerly close relationship.
isolation: Can be physical without involving emotional disconnection.