English vocabulary · C1
Estrange
/ɪˈstreɪndʒ/ · v.
Estrange means to make people stop feeling close to each other. Trust breaks, and they begin to live like strangers.
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Example sentences
- The lie estranged her from her sister.
- Years of silence estranged old friends.
Word origin and roots
from Old French
- estrangier — make foreign (from Old French)
Synonyms and nuances
- ALIENATE — make someone feel unwelcome (Push Someone Away)
- DISTANCE — make a bond less close (Reduce Closeness)
- SEPARATE — cause people to part (Move Apart)
Similar words
- alienate
- distance
- separate
Lesson notes
Estrange means to make people stop feeling close to each other. Trust breaks, and they begin to live like strangers.
Related: alienate, distance, separate. Use estrange when broken trust ends a close bond.
The lie estranged her from her sister. Years of silence estranged old friends.
From Old French. Estrangier- means make foreign. Making a close person feel foreign is to estrange them.