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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of estrangement
Degrees of estrangement are common in dysfunctional families, and this book depicts their slippery, progressive nature.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Therefore any estrangement would have been a loss to the school, and not to your own status.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
This week, motherhood has been a buzzy topic for Beckham, who recently spoke about the family's estrangement from 27-year-old son Brooklyn, who released a series of bombshell confessions about the rift in January.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Victoria Beckham has spoken out for the first time since her son Brooklyn Beckham’s estrangement from the family.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Therefore any estrangement would have been a loss to the school, and not to your own status.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
This week, motherhood has been a buzzy topic for Beckham, who recently spoke about the family's estrangement from 27-year-old son Brooklyn, who released a series of bombshell confessions about the rift in January.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Victoria Beckham has spoken out for the first time since her son Brooklyn Beckham’s estrangement from the family.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estrangement
Noun
-
That’s a recipe for alienation.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Most of the people building divorce and breakup registries are women.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After a difficult stretch marked by divorce, job loss and becoming an empty nester, Byrdsong found peace in potting plants.—
La'Tasha Givens,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Coming up in the nineteen-sixties, his childhood coincided with a schism in Black politics.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
By yesterday, the administration had decided to give the country through the weekend to resolve its regime schism.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
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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
Noun
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Their breakup has sparked discourse on social media, and Megan's fans also showed support and rallied behind her.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the people building divorce and breakup registries are women.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Grade separations greatly improve safety by reducing the chance of collisions between trains and cars, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Driven by blunt ideology rather than the reality of balancing harms, Font and Putnam-Hornstein advance a flawed and damaging premise that child safety requires normalizing and regularizing family separation.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Charles and Camilla's visit is being framed as a chance to repair a rift between two countries with historically deep ties.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Estrangement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estrangement. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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