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
What kind of mean girl would confide in me about her husband Evan’s depression and their financial struggles and her estrangement from her father?
—
Jen Wang, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
After decades of estrangement between him and Hutton, the two reconciled last year.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Farnum said that Negron and Hutton reconciled last year after decades of estrangement.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
After decades of estrangement between him and Hutton, the two former bandmates met last year in a timely effort to exchange apologies and bury the hatchet.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
For the past several years, she’s been struggling to process the sudden estrangement of an unnamed relative.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
If your family’s births and weddings are public, why wouldn’t your estrangement be as well?
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
It’s primarily told in flashback from present-day, where Poppy is reluctantly reunited with Alex at his brother’s wedding in Barcelona after an estrangement.
—Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
In this slow-burn story of estrangement and reconciliation, the negotiation is a familial one, the fault lines emotional rather than linguistic.
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Jen Wang, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
After decades of estrangement between him and Hutton, the two reconciled last year.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Farnum said that Negron and Hutton reconciled last year after decades of estrangement.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
After decades of estrangement between him and Hutton, the two former bandmates met last year in a timely effort to exchange apologies and bury the hatchet.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
For the past several years, she’s been struggling to process the sudden estrangement of an unnamed relative.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
If your family’s births and weddings are public, why wouldn’t your estrangement be as well?
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
It’s primarily told in flashback from present-day, where Poppy is reluctantly reunited with Alex at his brother’s wedding in Barcelona after an estrangement.
—Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026
In this slow-burn story of estrangement and reconciliation, the negotiation is a familial one, the fault lines emotional rather than linguistic.
—Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estrangement
Noun
-
The alienation that message creates—particularly in combination with extreme partisanship—has the potential to reshape the way Americans interact with their neighbors, schools, employers, churches, and democratic institutions.—
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
-
While his early films were about becoming human again, about using the fiction of cinema to make someone more real, his recent work has tacked in the opposite direction—intensifying alienation to such an extent that the human disappears.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Usually, there's an accumulation of issues that ends in divorce.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
-
According to Suanne, the divorce had been amicable, and Sandra had started dating again.—
Sarah Dahlberg,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
As a result, the consecration of bishops without papal consent is considered a grave threat to church unity and a cause of schism, since bishops can ordain new priests.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The band’s success was stymied by internal schisms, as Negron’s addiction to drugs eventually landed him on Skid Row for a time.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The site leaned into the idea that the excellence of American institutions had been corroded by wokeism, publishing columns and first-person accounts about parents’ disaffection with progressive private-school education and Hollywood’s discrimination against conservatives.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 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
Noun
-
Bad Bunny keeps his personal life pretty private, and he hasn't been confirmed to be dating anyone since his breakup with Kendall Jenner in 2024.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Most of the time, breakups are supposed to be clean-cut endings—no second thoughts, no leftover feelings, and generally, no contact.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, there’s a period of separation, followed by Heathcliff’s return, having made his own fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Ensuring safe separation between aircraft is vital to preventing tragedies like the collision over the Potomac River, and reports of serious safety concerns from airline pilots paint a troubling picture of safety over Burbank in particular.—
Marc Scribner,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Somaliland’s close ties to the UAE have also become a sticking point in the rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The public rift is a first between Johnson and Burke who have mostly enjoyed a cordial relationship despite coming from different corners of the city’s political spectrum.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Estrangement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estrangement. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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