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.
Estrangement is like emotional exile - it often involves a profound grief not just for the person, but for who you were in relationship with them. Many people describe it as mourning someone who's still alive, carrying the ghost of what the relationship once meant while navigating the reality of its absence.
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