estrange
eh-STRAYNJ
/ɪˈstreɪndʒ/
To cause someone to be no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienate.
Most commonly used to describe the breakdown of close personal, romantic, or familial relationships, turning loved ones into strangers.
The story behind the word. Estrange comes from the Old French word 'estrangier', which means 'to make strange'. This traces back to the Latin 'extraneus', meaning 'foreign' or 'from the outside'. When you estrange someone, you treat them as if they were a complete stranger from the outside.
Word relationships
- alienate: Alienate can refer to broad groups (like voters or customers), while estrange is almost exclusively used for intimate, personal relationships.
- disunite: Disunite means to separate a unified group, while estrange focuses on the loss of affection and intimacy.
- reconcile: To reconcile is to restore friendly relations, which is the direct healing of an estrangement.
- unite: To unite is to bring together, whereas estrange drives a wedge between individuals.
Commonly confused with
- strange: Strange is an adjective meaning unusual, while estrange is a verb meaning to turn someone into a stranger.
Word family
- estrangement (noun): The state of being alienated or no longer friendly.
- estranged (adjective): No longer close or affectionate; alienated.
Collocations
- estranged husband
- become estranged
- estrange from family
Example sentences
- "Years of silence and unspoken resentment served to estrange the daughter from her parents entirely." A novel describing a family conflict.
- "The bitter dispute over the inheritance managed to estrange the once-inseparable business partners." A description of a broken friendship.
Memory hook
Think of 'estrange' as making someone 'strange' to you—someone you used to know intimately is now a stranger. Turn into a stranger.
When not to use
Do not use for political or economic exclusion; estrange is deeply personal and emotional.
Fun facts
- In old English law, 'estrangement' could refer to the state of a citizen who had sworn allegiance to a foreign power, literally becoming a stranger to their homeland.
Explore more words
estranged, alienate, alienation, drift apart, ostracize, isolate
Also appears in
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