estrange

American  

[ih-streynj] / ɪˈstreɪndʒ /

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.

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estrange British  

/ 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

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Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• estrangement noun
• estranger noun

Etymology

Origin of estrange

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

Explanation

To estrange people may sound like adding wobbly antennae and an extra eyeball to their faces. Really, estrange means to push apart people who were once close to each other and cause them to be like strangers. The verb estrange comes from the Old French estranger, "to treat like a stranger.” Estrange is often used when talking about family members who are no longer in contact with each other. You can also speak about wanting to estrange the neighbor’s dog from your flowerbed or a writer who estranges her readers by using too many big words. If you're looking for a synonym that is less “strange” but more “alien,” try alienate.

Example Sentences

Novey transports us toward two reckonings: what exactly happened to estrange the women and, later, how Leah will respond to Jean’s legacy of sculptures.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2023

García's film is about fathers and sons, and it certainly tackles the thorniness that can estrange children and their parents.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2022

Thank goodness they’re not living with you anymore, and you don’t want to have a falling out that would estrange you from your nephew.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2015

And now the cat is out of the bag, and the new electronic devices, which estrange people from their morals, also make it easier to steal music than to pay for it.”

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2014

If I revert to my devotion to you, it is to prove that no worldly motives could estrange me from the partner of my miseries.

From The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume II (of 2) by Marshall, Florence A. Thomas

Related Words

• alienate
• divorce