as in alienation
the loss of friendship or affection
a silly quarrel that eventually resulted in a complete and lasting estrangement between the onetime friends
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Recent Examples of estrangement
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Meghan’s family estrangement looms heavily over her, casting a dark shadow on her efforts to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur.
—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
However, the estrangement between Harry and William is deep, with no communication between them in recent years.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
As Wednesday’s spirit guide, Weems reminds Wednesday that psychic abilities are ancestral, and that her estrangement from her mother was preventing her from getting her visions back.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Weems tells Morticia that Hester is using Morticia and Wednesday’s estrangement to pull Wednesday closer to her.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Jarmusch lulls us into thinking this part will be the exception to the theme of virtual estrangement, just through the bond between the twins that seems to return instantly after an unspecified but seemingly considerable amount of time apart.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
The celebrity chef’s raw and darkly humorous memoir explores her family’s demise and reconstruction — through divorce, estrangements, a brother’s sudden death and another’s suicide.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
From their now signature hand-in-hand walk out to subtle nods and hip-check nudges between them, the years of estrangement seemed like an ancient memory, leaving in their place a dedication to playing their most beloved songs as loudly, brashly and tightly as ever.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
While much of Aaron's life is public, including his years-long estrangement from his family, he's been keeping his wife private, including her identity.
—Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
However, the estrangement between Harry and William is deep, with no communication between them in recent years.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
As Wednesday’s spirit guide, Weems reminds Wednesday that psychic abilities are ancestral, and that her estrangement from her mother was preventing her from getting her visions back.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Weems tells Morticia that Hester is using Morticia and Wednesday’s estrangement to pull Wednesday closer to her.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Jarmusch lulls us into thinking this part will be the exception to the theme of virtual estrangement, just through the bond between the twins that seems to return instantly after an unspecified but seemingly considerable amount of time apart.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
The celebrity chef’s raw and darkly humorous memoir explores her family’s demise and reconstruction — through divorce, estrangements, a brother’s sudden death and another’s suicide.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
From their now signature hand-in-hand walk out to subtle nods and hip-check nudges between them, the years of estrangement seemed like an ancient memory, leaving in their place a dedication to playing their most beloved songs as loudly, brashly and tightly as ever.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
While much of Aaron's life is public, including his years-long estrangement from his family, he's been keeping his wife private, including her identity.
—Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estrangement
Noun
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The believer, in turn, may feel just as dismissed or misunderstood as the other, which ultimately closes the loop of alienation from both ends.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a statement to PEOPLE, Richards’ divorce attorney Brett Berman denied the allegations and accused Phypers of abusing and harassing the actress.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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The couple announced their divorce back in 2023.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This time, though, the schisms between the CDC and the states and professional societies go far beyond the timing of an additional dose of vaccine.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
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The schism that Hazony sounded his alarm about is very far from the present for the Republican Party.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even the employees, once the guardians of glamour, linger on smoke breaks with the weary disaffection of people simply marking time.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
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Other bands, such as Arcade Fire and the Postal Service, were turning away from the disaffection that characterized Gen X rock to express bighearted feelings in bespoke ways.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler, went to the locker room after a diving pass breakup in the second quarter.—
Kevin Fishbain,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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Fans think Nina Dobrev and Shaun White’s abrupt breakup makes a whole lot more sense after watching the actor’s latest TikTok video.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The move from a monolithic intelligence model to a modular agentic system aligns clearly with principles of separation of concerns, which are foundational in systems and software architecture.—
Gopikrishnan Anilkumar,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement For workers, these raids meant detention, family separation, and deportation.—
Jenn Tardy,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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London — The Duke of Sussex reunited with his father, King Charles III, for their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months on Wednesday, triggering speculation the royal family’s long-running rift might soon come to an end.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
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This snowballing controversy over seemingly simple pieces of paper launched endless online arguments, dominated the news cycle, and gradually began to serve as a microcosm of the fathomless ideological rift among Americans, many of whom view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a zero sum game.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Estrangement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estrangement. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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