unfrock

unfrock — verb

  • unfrockpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unfrocks3rd person singular
  • unfrocking-ing form
  • unfrockedpast simple

1. to take away a priest's or minister's right to serve in the church, as a formal

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to take away a priest's or minister's right to serve in the church, as a formal punishment for doing something wrong

Example

Bishop Ravindra was unfrocked after church leaders found he had misused the parish funds for years.

passive: be unfrocked — formal church punishment

A Vatican committee voted to unfrock Father Joaquín after he admitted breaking his vows.

active verb: voted to unfrock [person]

Common collocations
  • be unfrocked for [an offense such as theft, abuse, scandal]
  • unfrock a priest / minister / bishop / clergyman
  • threaten to unfrock [someone]
  • vote to unfrock [someone]
Synonyms
  • defrock

    identical meaning; defrock is more common in modern use

  • depose

    wider scope — can apply to any leader removed from high office, not just clergy

  • expel

    general removal from an organization; does not carry the specifically religious connotation

Antonyms
  • ordain

    to officially make someone a priest or minister — the opposite action

Grammar Patterns

unfrock + noun phrase

passive: be unfrocked

Usage Note

Usually found in the passive form (be unfrocked). The subject is a church authority such as a council, bishop, or tribunal; the object is a member of the clergy who has committed a serious offense.

Common Mistakes

The CEO was unfrocked after the fraud.
The priest was unfrocked after the fraud.
Unfrock applies only to religious officials, not to corporate or political positions.
The school unfrocked the teacher for cheating.
The school dismissed the teacher for cheating.
Use dismiss, fire, or expel for non-religious contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Defrock and unfrock are near-synonyms, both specific to clergy, though defrock is now more common (especially in news reporting). Depose has a wider scope — you can depose a king, a president, or a bishop; it emphasises the removal from a high position rather than the stripping of a sacred office. Dismiss is more general and neutral: a teacher, an employee, or a clergy member can be dismissed, with no hint of the formal ritual undertone that unfrock carries. Expel suggests driving someone out of an organisation entirely, often for misconduct, but does not specifically target clergy roles. In practice, if a church committee votes to remove a minister for stealing church funds, unfrock highlights the religious dimension most precisely, while dismiss or expel would be chosen by a writer who wants to downplay the ecclesiastical element.

defrock ↗depose ↗dismiss ↗expel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be unfrocked for misconduct
  • be unfrocked for heresy
  • threaten to unfrock
  • vote to unfrock

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Unfrock was formed in English by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'to reverse or remove') to the noun frock, which originally referred to a long loose garment worn by monks and clergy. The word thus literally means 'to remove the clerical robe' — a symbolic act that stood for stripping a priest of his office. The term dates back to the early 19th century.

First known use

1644

1644, in the meaning defined above