as in estrangement
the loss of friendship or affection
widespread disaffection with the governor's administration in its final year
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Recent Examples of disaffection
His disaffection baffles his acquaintances and pains his tubercular wife (a superb Quinn Jackson), whose doctor (Lambert Tamin) has only contempt for her husband’s agonizing.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
On her new single—a piano ballad of dubious sincerity—Canadian DJ and songwriter Brat Star invokes Paltrow’s greatest role as one-third of a holy trinity of disaffection.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Ultimately, many of these books’ characters are portrayed as avatars of resentment and disaffection, men who seem to fall prey to the rigid vision of masculinity dispensed by real-life adherents to the manosphere.
—Eric Magnuson, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
This confusion lay in the speech’s weaving, wending contradictions, and its shifts between tones, something Foster purposefully aimed for in telling the story of her life from child stardom to adult disaffection.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
In a recent interview on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast, Clooney humorously observed how the twins' nascent teenage disaffection is keeping his A-list ego in check.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
What happens next European countries will start to take on more of the cost of defense and are already increasing their spending on rearmament but also face a major challenge to support expensive welfare states, high debt levels and growing popular disaffection.
—Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Their lust for power often blinds them to popular disaffection.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
On her new single—a piano ballad of dubious sincerity—Canadian DJ and songwriter Brat Star invokes Paltrow’s greatest role as one-third of a holy trinity of disaffection.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Ultimately, many of these books’ characters are portrayed as avatars of resentment and disaffection, men who seem to fall prey to the rigid vision of masculinity dispensed by real-life adherents to the manosphere.
—Eric Magnuson, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
This confusion lay in the speech’s weaving, wending contradictions, and its shifts between tones, something Foster purposefully aimed for in telling the story of her life from child stardom to adult disaffection.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
In a recent interview on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast, Clooney humorously observed how the twins' nascent teenage disaffection is keeping his A-list ego in check.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Dec. 2025
What happens next European countries will start to take on more of the cost of defense and are already increasing their spending on rearmament but also face a major challenge to support expensive welfare states, high debt levels and growing popular disaffection.
—Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Their lust for power often blinds them to popular disaffection.
—Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disaffection
Noun
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In ominous voiceover, Sam feels her bile rising as Hathaway’s Mary approaches after a decade-long estrangement.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
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The novel’s efforts at cognitive estrangement begin with home and family life.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Studies show some teens spend hours on their phones a day — and that the highest social-media users suffer most from alienation and depression.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
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This section features collages, handwritten notes, and paintings that explore themes of adolescence, vulnerability, and alienation through childlike figures.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disaffection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disaffection. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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