estrange

American  

[ih-streynj] / ɪˈstreɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

estranged, estranging

1. to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of.

   Their quarrel estranged the two friends.

2. to remove to or keep at a distance.

   The necessity for traveling on business has estranged him from his family.

3. to divert from the original use or possessor.

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estrange British  

/ ɪˈstreɪndʒ /

verb

1. to separate and live apart from (one's spouse)

   he is estranged from his wife

2. to antagonize or lose the affection of (someone previously friendly); alienate

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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”; see extraneous

Explanation

To estrange people may sound like adding wobbly antennae and an extra eyeball to their faces. Really, estrange means to push apart people who were once close to each other and cause them to be like strangers. The verb estrange comes from the Old French estranger, "to treat like a stranger.” Estrange is often used when talking about family members who are no longer in contact with each other. Estrange can also mean "to keep at a distance or remove." With this sense, a writer can estrange readers by using too many big words your can talk about wanting to estrange the neighbor’s dog from your flowerbed. If you're looking for a synonym that is less “strange” but more “alien,” try alienate.

Example Sentences

García's film is about fathers and sons, and it certainly tackles the thorniness that can estrange children and their parents.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2022

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

In his color work, he sometimes accepted ambient blurs of motion to emphasize, and estrange, the stillness of a certain subject amid a street’s commotion.

From The New Yorker • May 6, 2019

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

But for Edmund, the one person who showed me any affection, the one who held faithfully by me, in spite of all that was done to estrange us, I could not have borne the life.

From Fickle Fortune by Elisabeth Burstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)

Related Words

• alienate
• divorce