estrange

[ih-streynj]

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.

estrange

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• estrangement noun
• estranger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of estrange¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of estrange¹

C15: from Old French estranger, from Late Latin extrāneāre to treat as a stranger, from Latin extrāneus foreign; see _strange

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

But to her estranged husband, it was a wake-up call to "just how far things had spiralled out of control".

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Howe then followed an unmarked police car believing his estranged wife was inside, leading to his arrest.

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"In order to escape her life and the mess she has made of it, she runs off to New Zealand to her estranged sister's wedding."

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This woman said her estranged husband was on the deed but not on the mortgage, and she has been paying the mortgage.

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I have two adult children and he has one from whom he had been estranged.

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Related Words

• alienate 
• divorce