estrangement
Americannoun
-
the state of being alienated or separated in feeling or affection; a state of hostility or unfriendliness.
Since the summer there’s been a rift in the family over something that my daughter posted online, and I still can't figure out how this estrangement occurred over something so silly.
Diplomatic relations between the two nations were officially restored after more than five decades of estrangement.
-
the state of being separated or removed.
After years of forced estrangement, the families of people living in the vast refugee camp are finally beginning to get some news of their relatives there.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of estrangement
Explanation
Estrangement is the feeling that you don't belong, especially when you're surrounded by other people. If you've ever had to sit by yourself in a school cafeteria, you know what estrangement feels like. Right in the middle of the word estrangement is strange, and it provides a great clue about how to use the word. Estrangement happens when something — or someone — makes you feel like a stranger. It can describe a couple that's split up or the alienation of a former friend. The meaning hasn't changed much from its Latin root, extraneare, "treat as a stranger."
Vocabulary lists containing estrangement
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Hamilton
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Brave New World
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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.
It turns out that Artie’s estrangement from his family is grounded in concrete circumstances: Both Evie and Rob have been keeping a weighty secret from him, one that Rob will eventually disclose.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Questions are also already being asked about how Duff’s separation from her partner might impact her estrangement from her sister, Hilary.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
The trail of damage from Patterson’s pet project includes money fights, family estrangement and bitter fallouts as friends turned on each other amid efforts to debunk or defend the footage over the years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
A researcher in family estrangement for more than 10 years, psychologist Dr Lucy Blake said there is no data to indicate estrangement is rising, but there has been a huge shift in dialogue.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
It is plain indeed that in spite of later estrangement Hobbits are relatives of ours: far nearer to us than Elves, or even than Dwarves.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
