estrange
Other forms: estranged; estranging; estranges
To estrange people may sound like adding wobbly antennae and an extra eyeball to their faces. Really, estrange means to push apart people who were once close to each other and cause them to be like strangers.
The verb estrange comes from the Old French estranger, "to treat like a stranger.” Estrange is often used when talking about family members who are no longer in contact with each other. Estrange can also mean "to keep at a distance or remove." With this sense, a writer can estrange readers by using too many big words your can talk about wanting to estrange the neighbor’s dog from your flowerbed. If you're looking for a synonym that is less “strange” but more “alien,” try alienate.
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remove from customary environment or associations
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arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendlinesstypes:weandetach the affections of
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Vocabulary lists containing estrange
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This memoir recounts Noah's childhood in South Africa during the last years of apartheid.
Translated from the original Greek by Robert Fagles, this epic poem relates events from the Trojan War, including the exploits of Achilles.