excommunication

noun

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​tion ˌek-skə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce excommunication (audio)
1
: an ecclesiastical censure depriving a person of the rights of church membership
2
: exclusion from fellowship in a group or community
excommunicative adjective

Examples of excommunication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And in 1964, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church canceled their mutual excommunications of one another (dating back to 1054), thereby allowing interchurch dialogue to begin. Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2013 When Hazimi’s followers were fighting in Iraq and Syria, some of them argued that locals who had used government courts and participated in elections were infidels deserving of excommunication. Vera Mironova, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2017 The Vatican said Viganò had been told of the excommunication and that only the Holy See could lift the sanction. Christopher Lamb, CNN, 5 July 2024 But raising the age question was grounds for excommunication from the high command of the Biden orbit. Philip Elliott, TIME, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for excommunication 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excommunication.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excommunication was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near excommunication

Cite this Entry

“Excommunication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excommunication. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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