excommunicate

1 of 2

verb

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​cate ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkāt How to pronounce excommunicate (audio)
excommunicated; excommunicating; excommunicates
Synonyms of excommunicatenext
excommunicator noun

excommunicate

2 of 2

adjective

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​cate ˌek-skə-ˈmyü-ni-kət How to pronounce excommunicate (audio)
: excluded from the rights of church membership : excommunicated
excommunicate noun

Examples of excommunicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
In the late 1980s, its ‌founder ⁠Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without the approval of Pope John Paul II, leading those involved to be excommunicated. Reuters, NBC news, 5 July 2026 Wednesday's ceremony came 38 years to the day after Lefebvre was excommunicated alongside those four bishops — including Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who led Wednesday's consecrations and was again excommunicated Thursday. Noah Labelle, NPR, 2 July 2026 Six bishops and hundreds of priests belonging to the society have been excommunicated. Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 2 July 2026 Vatican decree targeted bishops and faithful In a decree, the Vatican excommunicated the four new bishops and the two existing SSPX bishops who participated in the ceremony. Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for excommunicate

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excommunicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excommunicate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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

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