Standard Lemma guide

excommunicate

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkət/
  • US: /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkət/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
  • US: /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkeɪt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: EH2 K S K AH0 M Y UW1 N AH0 K EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Excommunicated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An excommunicated person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excommunicant, excommunicatee

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To exclude from any other group; to banish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, historical, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

exclude from a church or a religious community

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The gay priest was excommunicated when he married his partner

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unchurch, curse

Antonyms: communicate

Broader terms: exclude, keep out, shut out, shut

6

verb

Meaning 6

oust or exclude from a group or membership by decree

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: oust, throw out, drum out, boot out, kick out, expel

History

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“put out of the community”). See -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. Displaced native Old English āmǣnsumian.

From a substantivation of the above adjective. See -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more.

From Ecclesiastical Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“excommunicate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ex- + communicate.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَرَمَ (ḥarama) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Armenian: բանադրել (banadrel) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Bulgarian: отлъчвам от църквата (otlǎčvam ot cǎrkvata) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Catalan: excomunicar — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Danish: ekskommunikere — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Esperanto: ekskomuniki — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • French: excommunier — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Old French: escumengier — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • German: exkommunizieren — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Greek: αφορίζω (aforízo) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Hungarian: kiközösít — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Italian: scomunicare — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Japanese: 破門 — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Latin: excommunicare — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Macedonian: изопшти (izopšti) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Macedonian: екскомуницира (ekskomunicira) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ekskommunisere — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lyse i bann — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bannlyse — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Bokmål: utelukke fra den katolske kirke — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ekskommunisere — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lyse i bann — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bannlyse — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bannlysa — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stengje ute frå den katolske kyrkja — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Old English: āmǣnsumian — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Polish: ekskomunikować — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Polish: potępiać — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Polish: potępić — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Polish: wyklinać — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Polish: wykląć — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Portuguese: excomungar — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: изгоня́ть (izgonjátʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: изгна́ть (izgnátʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: выгоня́ть (vygonjátʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: вы́гнать (výgnatʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: отлуча́ть (otlučátʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Russian: отлучи́ть (otlučítʹ) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Serbo-Croatian: ekskomunicírati — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Serbo-Croatian: izòpćiti — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Spanish: excomulgar — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Thai: บัพพาชนียกรรม (bàp-paa-chá-nii-yá-gam) — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Welsh: esgymuno — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • Welsh: diaelodi — to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community
  • French: bannir — to exclude from any other group; to banish
  • German: bannen — to exclude from any other group; to banish
  • German: verbannen — to exclude from any other group; to banish
  • Hungarian: kiközösít — to exclude from any other group; to banish
  • Thai: บัพพาชนียกรรม (bàp-paa-chá-nii-yá-gam) — to exclude from any other group; to banish