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

In 1591, Pope Gregory XIV forbade all betting on the election of the pope, under penalty of excommunication. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 22 Apr. 2025

The ruling from Circuit Court Judge Lisa Walsh comes after a nearly three-year-long dispute that has led to dueling lawsuits, allegations of fraud and the excommunication of longtime parish leaders. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025

Archbishop Etienne echoed that stance, warning that priests who break the seal of confession face automatic excommunication. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

Breaking the oath of secrecy results in automatic excommunication from the church. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 7 May 2025

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