estrange
Americanverb (used with object)
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to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of.
Their quarrel estranged the two friends.
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to remove to or keep at a distance.
The necessity for traveling on business has estranged him from his family.
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to divert from the original use or possessor.
verb
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to separate and live apart from (one's spouse)
he is estranged from his wife
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to antagonize or lose the affection of (someone previously friendly); alienate
Related Words
Estrange, alienate, disaffect share the sense of causing (someone) to turn away from a previously held state of affection, comradeship, or allegiance. Estrange often implies replacement of love or belonging by apathy or hostility: erstwhile lovers estranged by a misunderstanding. Alienate often calls attention to the cause of antagonism or separation: His inconsiderate behavior alienated both friends and family. Disaffect usually refers to relationships involving allegiance or loyalty rather than love or affection: disaffected workers, demoralized by ill-considered management policies.
Other Word Forms
- estrangement noun
- estranger noun
Etymology
Origin of estrange
First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French, Old French estranger; cognate with Portuguese estranhar, Spanish estrañar, Italian straniare, from Medieval Latin extrāneāre “to treat as a stranger,” derivative of Latin extrāneus “external, foreign, strange”; extraneous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Children who choose to estrange themselves aren't making a little decision on a whim," explained Joshua Stein, a researcher who tracks online trends, especially those that intersect with psychology and bioethics.
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2024
I’m truly fearful he’ll get the idea that you estrange from a family member as easily as you throw away a napkin.
From Washington Post • Oct. 24, 2021
Hval’s aim seems not to offend but to estrange, creating distance between herself and the listener; her narrators are unreliable but fascinating.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 15, 2015
Thank goodness they’re not living with you anymore, and you don’t want to have a falling out that would estrange you from your nephew.
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2015
Pleust � Dieu qu'elle n'eust iamais est� rompu�, nous ne souffririons pas � present les calamitez qui nous font gemir et donneront vn estrange empeschement � la conuersion de ces peuples.
From History of the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet in 1634 With a Sketch of his Life by Butterfield, Consul Willshire
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
