estrange

verb

es·​trange i-ˈstrānj 

estranged; estranging

transitive verb

1

: to arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in (someone) where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness : alienate

John's excesses gradually estranged him from his mother …

—Philip Norman

She became estranged from her family.

2

: to remove from customary environment or associations

The first words spoken were not those of one becoming estranged from this world, and already permitted to stray at times into realms foreign to the living.

—Charlotte Brontë

estrangement

i-ˈstrānj-mənt 

noun

her estrangement from her family

estranger noun

Synonyms

• alien
• alienate
• disaffect
• disgruntle
• sour

Choose the Right Synonym for estrange

estrange, alienate, disaffect mean to cause one to break a bond of affection or loyalty.

estrange implies the development of indifference or hostility with consequent separation or divorcement.

his estranged wife

alienate may or may not suggest separation but always implies loss of affection or interest.

managed to alienate all his coworkers

disaffect refers especially to those from whom loyalty is expected and stresses the effects (such as rebellion or discontent) of alienation without actual separation.

troops disaffected by hunger

Examples of estrange in a Sentence

she estranged several of her coworkers when she let her promotion go to her head

Recent Examples on the Web

As the trust stands now, all four siblings would have an equal vote, which means the three other eldest Murdoch kids, most of whom are estranged from their father, could gang up on Lachlan. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2024

Tom, on the other hand, is reportedly estranged from his daughter, and has allegedly not seen her since a family trip to Walt Disney World in 2012, per Page Six. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

As a man estranged from his family who loses himself in his work, Law portrays Husk as someone easy to underestimate, seemingly adrift in a fog of booze and self-pity, yet driven by a professionalism who can nevertheless rise to the occasion when needed. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024

Perry — who used technology to extract his dad’s voice off a cassette tape, then combined it with his own recording — was estranged from his father, and said in a statement that Ray used to sing him Darin’s song as a child. —Rachel Desantis, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French estrangir, estranger, from Medieval Latin extraneare, from Latin extraneus strange — more at strange entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

estrange

verb

es·​trange is-ˈtrānj 

estranged; estranging

: to cause to change from friendly or loving to unfriendly or uncaring : alienate

estranged from their children

estrangement

-mənt 

noun