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
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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 To further preserve the complete privacy of the conclave, the support staff — including chefs, cleaners and custodians — all took an oath of secrecy, of which the punishment for breaking it is excommunication, CBS News reported. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 6 May 2025 The penalty for violating this pledge is the church’s most severe punishment: excommunication, or being permanently separated from the life of the church. Made By History, Time, 22 Apr. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Excommunication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excommunication. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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