excommunicate

1 of 2

verb

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​cate ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkāt 

excommunicated; excommunicating; excommunicates

transitive verb

: to subject to excommunication

excommunicator

ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkā-tər 

noun

excommunicate

2 of 2

adjective

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​cate ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-ni-kət 

: excluded from the rights of church membership : excommunicated

excommunicate noun

Examples of excommunicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Tolstoy’s last novel, Resurrection (for which he was finally excommunicated), was written largely to articulate and advocate for Georgist land reform. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025

On top of that, a cardinal repeating what he had been told during a confessional — as happens in the film — would likely lead to being excommunicated. —Nbc News, NBC news, 7 May 2025

Alleging disobedience, among other claimed doctrinal infractions, the OCA excommunicated the Homyks and longtime parish council leader Priscilla Rivera. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025

The Catholic Church takes this secrecy seriously and can excommunicate any cardinal who violates the rule. —Caroline Blair, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Late Latin excommunicatus, past participle of excommunicare, from Latin ex- + Late Latin communicare to communicate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1521, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for excommunicate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate
• isocyanate

Kids Definition

excommunicate

verb

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​cate

ˌeks-kə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkāt

excommunicated; excommunicating

: to shut off officially from the rights of church membership

excommunication

-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən

noun

excommunicator

-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkāt-ər

noun