estrange

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verb es·trange \ i-ˈstrānj \

Definition of estrange

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

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estrangement

play \i-ˈstrānj-mənt\ noun

- her estrangement from her family

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estranger

noun

See estrange defined for English-language learners

See estrange defined for kids

Examples of estrange in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of estrange from the Web

A hashtag invites the quiet participation of strangers and the estranged, who are now sitting in a bar bathroom forming opinions on a day about which their opinion matters not at all.

— monica heisey, The Cut, "Instagram Has Ruined Wedding Season," 18 July 2017
There was no comment from the office of Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive officer who has been estranged from Ghani for many months.

— pamela constable, Washington Post, "Political storm brews in Afghanistan as officials from ethnic minorities break with president, call for reforms and protests," 1 July 2017
One person unlikely to be on hand for Xscape’s performances is rapper T.I., Harris’ partner of 17 years and husband for seven. Estranged since late 2016,

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Reunited Xscape to rekindle '90s nostalgia with special Detroit shows," 30 June 2017
Our relationship was estranged at the time, and boxing eventually made us closer again.

— by santos a. perez, miamiherald, "Del Valle’s journey ends in Florida Boxing Hall of Fame," 12 June 2017
Mr. Butt’s brother, Saad, who did paid work for the police on counterextremism issues and was estranged from the assailant, missed signs of how dangerous his brother’s extremism had become.

— rukmini callimachi and katrin bennhold, New York Times, "London Attackers Slipped By Despite an Avalanche of Warnings," 6 June 2017
But he has been estranged from the Knicks because of his criticism of Mr. Dolan and the team’s performance.

— james c. mckinley jr., New York Times, "Oakley Rejects Plea Bargain and Demands Day in Court," 2 June 2017
Although Kim, who was estranged from his family, was not an obvious political threat, he may have been seen as a potential rival in the country's dynastic dictatorship.

— eileen ng, chicagotribune.com, "Kim Jong Nam murder suspect asks her parents to pray for her," 30 May 2017
Although Kim, who was estranged from his family, was not an obvious political threat, he may have been seen as a potential rival in the country’s dynastic dictatorship.

— eileen ng, The Seattle Times, "Kim Jong Nam murder suspect asks her parents to pray for her," 29 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'estrange.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of estrange

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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estrange Synonyms

Synonyms

alien, alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, sour

Antonyms

reconcile

Related Words

antagonize, embitter, envenom; aggravate, anger, enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil; break up, dissociate, disunite, divide, separate, sever, split, sunder, uncouple, unlink, unyoke; disappoint, disenchant, disillusion; annoy, bother, bug, chafe, exasperate, gall, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pique, rile, vex

Near Antonyms

endear, ingratiate; appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate

Synonym Discussion of 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.