What does expatriated mean?
"Expatriated" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "expatriate," meaning to be removed from, or to withdraw oneself from, one's native country. It carries two related senses: involuntary banishment from one's homeland — as when a dissident or political figure is expelled by a state — and voluntary renunciation of one's citizenship or national allegiance, an older legal usage. The word derives from Latin roots meaning "out of the fatherland" (ex- + patria), the same root that gives us "patriot" and "compatriot." Formal and literary in tone, "expatriated" appears most often in historical, legal, or biographical writing, frequently in passive constructions such as "he was expatriated in 1951." It should not be confused with "deported," which concerns legal expulsion from a foreign country rather than removal from one's own. Today the related noun "expatriate" far outstrips the verb in everyday use.
verbPast tense and past participle of "expatriate": to have been sent or forced to live outside one's native country, or to have voluntarily given up one's citizenship or allegiance to it.
- Forced or sent to live outside one's native country; exiled.
- Having voluntarily renounced one's citizenship or allegiance to one's native country.
"After the revolution, the writer was expatriated and spent the rest of her life in London."
"The dissident journalist was expatriated in 1934 and never returned to her homeland."
"Under the old law, citizens who swore allegiance to another crown were deemed to have expatriated themselves."
The same Latin root that gives us 'patriot' gives us 'expatriated' — literally, to be cast out of your fatherland.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expatriated
"Expatriated" traces to the verb "expatriate," formed from Medieval Latin "expatriatus," combining Latin "ex-" (out of) with "patria" (fatherland), itself from "pater" (father). English adopted the verb around the early seventeenth century, initially emphasizing voluntary withdrawal of allegiance before extending to forced exile. It shares its root with "patriot," "compatriot," and "patriotic."
Related word forms
How expatriated is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register. The verb is more commonly encountered in its base form "expatriate"; "expatriated" typically appears in passive constructions or as a past participle. In modern usage, the noun "expatriate" (a person living abroad) is far more frequent than the verb.
Easily confused with expatriated
Deportation is a legal expulsion by a state from a country where one is living, while being expatriated refers to removal or withdrawal from one's own native country, often involving loss of citizenship.