What does excommunicated mean?
"Excommunicated" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "excommunicate," meaning to formally exclude someone from the sacraments, rites, and fellowship of a church — most notably the Roman Catholic Church — as punishment for grave sin or disobedience. The word carries strong historical and religious weight: it evokes medieval popes casting out kings, reformers such as Martin Luther being cast off from Rome, and communities severed at their most sacred level. Because excommunication traditionally placed a person outside both spiritual communion and social life, the term has developed a figurative, secular use: to be "excommunicated" from a profession, family, or social circle is to be abruptly and completely shut out. The word is formal and somewhat literary in tone, and its connotations are severe — it implies not mere disagreement but total exclusion. Related forms include the noun "excommunication" and the adjective "excommunicate."
verb (past tense and past participle)Formally excluded from participation in the sacraments and services of a Christian church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, as a punishment for serious wrongdoing. More broadly, excluded or cut off from membership in a group, organization, or community.
- Formally barred from the sacraments and fellowship of a Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, as ecclesiastical punishment.
- (Extended use) Expelled or cut off from membership in any organization, group, or community.
"In 1054, the patriarch of Constantinople was excommunicated by the Pope's legate, cementing the split between East and West."
"The medieval king was excommunicated after refusing to obey the papal decree."
"After the scandal broke, he felt effectively excommunicated from the industry he had once led."
Martin Luther was excommunicated in 1521 — and reportedly burned his excommunication decree along with other papal writings, turning his punishment into one of history's most famous acts of defiance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of excommunicated
"Excommunicated" derives from the Late Latin "excommunicare," formed from Latin "ex-" (out of) and "communio"/"communicare" (communion, to share in common), literally meaning to put someone "out of communion." The underlying root is "communis," meaning common or shared, which also gives English words like "community," "communion," and "communicate." The verb entered English via ecclesiastical Latin usage in the late Middle English period, and its noun form "excommunication" was well established by the medieval era of church law. Its cognates across Romance languages include French "excommunier" and Italian "scomunicare."
Related word forms
How excommunicated is actually used
Primarily formal and religious in register; the extended secular sense ('cut off from a group') is usually figurative and often carries a dramatic or ironic tone. In Catholic canon law, some offenses incur excommunication automatically rather than by formal declaration.
Easily confused with excommunicated
'Excommunicated' is the past tense of the verb meaning already expelled from a church; 'excommunicable' is an adjective describing an offense serious enough to warrant such expulsion.