What does defrocked mean?
"Defrocked" describes someone — most commonly a priest, minister, or other member of the clergy — who has been formally stripped of their religious office, usually as punishment for serious misconduct such as abuse, fraud, or heresy. The image behind the word is vivid and literal: to be defrocked is to have one's sacred garments, or "frock," taken away, symbolizing the loss of the right to preach, celebrate the sacraments, or represent the church. Although its primary use remains ecclesiastical, English speakers have extended the word to other professions, so that a discredited lawyer or physician may be described as defrocked, usually with an ironic edge. In formal Catholic terminology the equivalent process is called laicization, which can also occur without any penalty. Because defrocking nearly always follows scandal, the word carries a heavy connotation of disgrace, making it a fixture of headlines about institutional wrongdoing.
adjectiveHaving been formally stripped of the status or rights of a priest or member of the clergy, typically as punishment for misconduct. By extension, dismissed or expelled from a profession or position of authority, especially one involving a special trust.
- Formally deprived of clerical status or priestly functions, usually as punishment for wrongdoing.
- Extended use: dismissed or expelled from any profession, office, or privileged position.
"The defrocked priest was barred from celebrating mass in any diocese."
"The Vatican confirmed that the bishop had been defrocked following the investigation."
"A defrocked accountant was convicted of embezzling funds from former clients."
Defrocked literally means having your 'frock' — the vestments of your holy office — taken away, which is why lawyers and other professionals got 'disbarred' while priests alone were stripped of their robes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of defrocked
Defrocked comes from the verb "defrock," formed from the prefix de- plus "frock," a word of medieval origin meaning a monk's habit or long garment. "Frock" entered Middle English from Old French "froc," itself probably of Germanic origin. The verb arose in the seventeenth century as a concrete image of removing a cleric's vestments, and it has since become the standard journalistic term for the loss of clerical status.
Related word forms
How defrocked is actually used
The term belongs chiefly to formal and journalistic register and carries a strong connotation of scandal or disgrace, since removal from the clergy is almost always punitive. The extended figurative sense (applied to non-clergy) is well established but still often carries a faintly ironic tone. 'Laicized' is the more neutral, canonical term in Catholic usage, since it can occur without any penalty being implied.
Easily confused with defrocked
Unfrocked means exactly the same thing but is less common and slightly more old-fashioned than defrocked.