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definitions

estranged

[ih-streynjd]
See more synonyms for estranged on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. displaying or evincing a feeling of alienation; alienated.

Origin of estranged

First recorded in 1545–55; estrange + -ed2
Related formses·trang·ed·ness [ih-streyn-jid-nis, -streynjd-] /ɪˈstreɪn dʒɪd nɪs, -ˈstreɪndʒd-/, nounun·es·tranged, adjective

estrange

[ih-streynj]
verb (used with object), es·tranged, es·trang·ing.
  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.

Origin of estrange

1475–85; < Middle French, Old French estranger; cognate with Portuguese estranhar, Spanish estrañar, Italian straniare < Medieval Latin exstrāneāre to treat as a stranger. See strange
Related formses·trange·ment, nounes·trang·er, nounself-es·trange·ment, noun

Synonyms for estrange

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for estranged

divorce, alienate, leave, divide, separate, wean, sunder, withhold, alien, disaffect, part, antagonize, split, withdraw, disunite, divert, sever, disunify

Examples from the Web for estranged

Contemporary Examples of estranged

Historical Examples of estranged

  • Found all changed and estranged, and, he fancied, more wonder than welcome.

    Poems

    William D. Howells

  • How talk, for instance, of the world and its pleasures to one who had been estranged from it!

    Barrington

    Charles James Lever

  • No sooner had I found my brother than I found him estranged from me in a hopeless cause.

    Kilgorman

    Talbot Baines Reed

  • The evidence of those who have been estranged from the Churches is worth considering.

    Personality in Literature

    Rolfe Arnold Scott-James

  • What chance was there of reconciliation with his estranged friends?

    Lord George Bentinck

    Benjamin Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for estranged

estranged

adjective
  1. separated and living apart from one's spouse
  2. no longer friendly; alienated

estrange

verb (tr)
  1. (usually passive often foll by from) to separate and live apart from (one's spouse)he is estranged from his wife
  2. (usually passive often foll by from) to antagonize or lose the affection of (someone previously friendly); alienate
Derived Formsestrangement, noun

Word Origin for estrange

C15: from Old French estranger, from Late Latin extrāneāre to treat as a stranger, from Latin extrāneus foreign; see strange
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for estranged

estrange

v.

late 15c., from Middle French estrangier "to alienate," from Vulgar Latin *extraneare "to treat as a stranger," from Latin extraneus "foreign" (see strange). Related: Estranged.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper