estranged

[ih-streynjd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR estranged ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of: Their quarrel estranged the two friends.

to remove to or keep at a distance: The necessity for traveling on business has estranged him from his family.

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 estrange 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. 2019

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

As a soldier returning from Iraq, I felt both welcomed by and estranged from my tribe.
Possessed by PTSD, A Veteran Uses Exorcisms to Cast Out His Demons
Brian Van Reet
February 2, 2014
Earl tasks Phil with finding his estranged son, a pickup artist named Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise).
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Best Performances: ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Capote,’ and More
Marlow Stern
February 2, 2014
Moses Farrow, now 36, and an accomplished photographer, has been estranged from Mia for several years.
The Woody Allen Allegations: Not So Fast
Robert B. Weide
January 27, 2014
Dick Diver begins as the graceful, competent king of the Riviera and ends as a washed-up drunk, estranged from everyone he loves.
The 10 Best Books on Literary Drunkenness
Olivia Laing
December 28, 2013
He was so estranged from his three daughters that it took him several awkward moments to summon their names.
The World War I Veteran Who Wasn’t
Richard Rubin
May 26, 2013

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

separated and living apart from one's spouse

no longer friendly; alienated

estrange

verb (tr)

(usually passive often foll by from) to separate and live apart from (one's spouse)he is estranged from his wife

(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

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.