Words / C1

i-STRAYNJ/ɪˈstreɪndʒ/

To estrange is to cause someone to no longer be friendly or close: estrange cover, become estranged. Strange (already in the dictionary) is the adjective of oddness, not this verb; a vote of thanks does not restore an unpaid night.

Meaning

To cause someone to no longer be friendly or close (from strange, already in the dictionary, but not the same).

Examples

• “An unpaid night will estrange cover; a vote of thanks will not restore it.”
• “Alienate is the close twin. Distance is milder. Thanks is courtesy. A named, paid shift is cover. Pay the night; then thank the spare if the sitting still stands.”

Good to know

Drive into distance or hostility. Related: strange (already in the dictionary; different). Thanks ≠ a paid night.

Near in meaning

alienate, distance, drive apart

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