estranged

1 of 2

adjective

es·​tranged i-ˈstrānjd 

: having lost former closeness and affection : in a state of alienation from a previous close or familial relationship

her estranged husband [=her husband with whom she no longer lives]

Social workers may try to resolve conflicts between estranged siblings.

—Jonathan D. Rockoff

He had taken out a life insurance policy on his estranged wife just weeks before her murder …

—David Fisher

… it's kind of shameful to admit your idea of unwinding in front of the TV is watching somebody's entire family get murdered by their greedy, estranged uncle.

—Lauren Zupkus

estranged

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of estrange

Examples of estranged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Four months later, Peter reaches out to an estranged Wendy with an invitation to his annual Scary New Year celebration at his parents’ remote cabin. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026

Ramaswamy aired a late attack ad against Acton featuring her estranged mother, who backed her husband when Acton accused him of rape as a child. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

The defining moment of this campaign came with an ad made by the Ramaswamy campaign that tried to use Acton's estranged mother, who fled the state with a husband who was indicted for raping Acton as a child, to call Acton a liar. — Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026

Millions of dollars poured in for negative ads, reaching its peak in October when Ramaswamy's campaign launched a $4 million ad featuring Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1538, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing estranged

• estranged couple
• estranged husband
• estranged wife

Rhymes for estranged

• disarranged
• interchanged
• prearranged
• rearranged
• arranged
• exchanged
• unchanged
• changed
• ranged