The state of being emotionally distant or cut off from someone who was once close, often involving a breakdown in relationship due to conflict, hurt, or fundamental differences. It's characterized by a sense of alienation and lost connection.
From Old French 'estrangier' meaning 'to treat as a stranger,' derived from Latin 'extraneus' (external, foreign). The psychological meaning emphasizes the painful transformation of intimacy into distance, often involving grief for the lost relationship.
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