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
Over seven seasons the show covers topics like menopause, elder care, homophobia, estrangement, discrimination, and more.
—
Beth Nguyen, Time, 13 Sep. 2025
Likely less caustic is Bryan Washington’s Palaver, his third novel, about a gay man living in Japan whose mother appears in his life after a period of estrangement.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Prince Harry and his father, King Charles III, have reunited amid the royal family's estrangement from the outspoken prince.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The Diana Award is one of the few causes that unites both Harry and Prince William, 43, despite their estrangement.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
The Cairo-Riyadh estrangement is one such shift.
—Khaled Hassan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Beth Nguyen, Time, 13 Sep. 2025
Likely less caustic is Bryan Washington’s Palaver, his third novel, about a gay man living in Japan whose mother appears in his life after a period of estrangement.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Prince Harry and his father, King Charles III, have reunited amid the royal family's estrangement from the outspoken prince.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
The Diana Award is one of the few causes that unites both Harry and Prince William, 43, despite their estrangement.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
The Cairo-Riyadh estrangement is one such shift.
—Khaled Hassan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estrangement
Noun
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National data show that Native students face disproportionate barriers in higher education, including financial hardship, geographic isolation, and cultural alienation at mainstream institutions.—
Marybeth Gasman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Not only has his presidency exacerbated the cost-of-living woes and political alienation that Le Pen and her allies thrive on, but his various attempts to assuage concerns over their most important cause—opposition to immigration—have backfired spectacularly.—
Cole Stangler,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Arias weaves a lovely tale of unrequited love that isn’t as unrequited in this sapphic, slow-burn romance that also touches on weighty topics, including divorce and grief.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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The teachers knew that his parents had gone through a hellish divorce, and that money troubles had followed.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The quiet schism in sports over whether to acknowledge Kirk as an important figure cut down in a senseless murder may reflect today’s uneasy balance between conservative power and the norms of what are often regarded as apolitical spaces, particularly by conservatives themselves.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
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Beneath the immediate conflict lies a deeper ideological schism.—
Khaled Hassan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 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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Despite the tension in the exchange, aviation authorities confirmed that proper separation was maintained throughout the incident.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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That means automatic change logs for every catalog update, dual approvals for pricing tweaks and clear separation of duties for discount policies.—
Ranganath Taware,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield, whose name helped shape the popular ice cream brand, has quit the company, as its rift with parent Unilever deepened over its stance on the Gaza conflict.—
Shivani Tanna,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
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The growing fissure became a permanent rift when one day Frazier heard Ali doing a radio interview.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Estrangement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estrangement. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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