excommunication

noun

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​tion ˌek-skə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: an ecclesiastical censure depriving a person of the rights of church membership

2

: exclusion from fellowship in a group or community

excommunicative

ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkā-tiv 

-ni-kə-tiv

adjective

Examples of excommunication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even excommunication, which can be absolved at confession, is too harsh of a punishment for someone who diligently follows the word to the best of his meager understanding. —Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026

Saints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, located near Little Havana, has been at the center of a years-long dispute over property and parish control which led to dueling lawsuits, accusations of fraud and the excommunication of long-standing parish leaders. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026

Filaret led a rival Orthodox movement in Ukraine, a step that provoked his excommunication by the Russian church, but attracted a growing following at home, particularly after Ukraine regained its independence. —Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 24 Mar. 2026

Hailey recalled a ‘dramatic excommunication’ following their first breakup. —Christina Perrier, InStyle, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for excommunication

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization