excommunication

noun

ex·​com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​tion ˌek-skə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce excommunication (audio)
Synonyms of excommunicationnext
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 How to pronounce excommunication (audio)
-ni-kə-tiv
adjective

Examples of excommunication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Vatican said dialogue was offered to the ​group ahead of the schism and that the step of ordaining ​bishops without ⁠church approval was considered so grave that excommunication was automatic. — Reuters, NBC news, 5 July 2026 Luigi Casalini, of the blog Messa in Latino, meaning Latin Mass, said the excommunication of the bishops was correct because canon law provides for it. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 Long at odds with the Vatican, the order delivered by the pope meant excommunication for the newly consecrated, any SSPX priest and any person who formally adheres to the society. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for excommunication

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

Rhymes for excommunication

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Browse Nearby Words

excommunicate
excommunication
excommunicative
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excommunication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excommunication. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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