excommunicate

[ verb eks-kuh-myoo-ni-keyt; noun adjective eks-kuh-myoo-ni-kit, -keyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ed, ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ing.

1. to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence.
2. to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc.:

   an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.

noun

1. an excommunicated person.

adjective

1. cut off from communion with a church; excommunicated.

excommunicate

verb

1. tr to sentence (a member of the Church) to exclusion from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the Church

adjective

1. having incurred such a sentence

noun

1. an excommunicated person

Derived Forms

• ˌexcomˈmunicative, adjective
• ˌexcomˈmunicator, noun
• ˌexcomˈmunicable, adjective
• ˌexcomˌmuniˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• excom·muni·cator noun
• unex·com·muni·cated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of excommunicate¹

1375–1425; late Middle English excommunicaten (v.) < Late Latin excommūnicātus literally, put out of the community (past participle of excommūnicāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + commūn ( is ) common, public + -ic- (by analogy with commūnicāre to communicate ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of excommunicate¹

C15: from Late Latin excommūnicāre, literally: to exclude from the community, from Latin commūnis common

Example Sentences

Smyth was only excommunicated by his local church the year before his death in 2018, after he was named publicly as an abuser in a Channel 4 News report.

From BBC

He and his wife Anne were excommunicated by his local church in Cape Town, South Africa, the year before he died.

From BBC

Lutnick claims that any complaints are all sour grapes from people associated with Project 2025 who have apparently been excommunicated from Trump's inner circle for making the former president look bad.

From Salon

Then in 2020, when the prayers and Bible studies were deemed to have failed, Mensah was excommunicated from his church for being gay.

From BBC

He has not seemed especially concerned about this challenge, recently threatening to excommunicate his rival’s donors from his political movement.

From New York Times