Synonyms

unfrock

American

[uhn-frok] / ʌnˈfrɒk /

verb (used with object)

defrock.

unfrock British

/ ʌnˈfrɒk /

verb

(tr) to deprive (a person in holy orders) of ecclesiastical status

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of unfrock

First recorded in 1635–45; un- ² + frock

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An unfrocked priest seeks redemption by performing an exorcism on a young woman.

From Los Angeles Times

For too long, the pope has failed to act on his words that child abusers have no role within the church, as evidenced by the church’s reluctance to unfrock priests for such crimes.

From The Guardian

On the death of her first husband, she married an unfrocked priest and, when he died, she set up with a civil servant, 24 years her junior.

From BBC

"We 're not going to unfrock you, Hunter," said he, gayly, in dismissing him.

From Project Gutenberg

Hold your tongue; it was I who made you Metropolitan, and I unfrock you.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023