exclusive

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​clu·​sive ik-ˈsklü-siv How to pronounce exclusive (audio)
-ziv
1
a
: excluding or having power to exclude
b
: limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group
2
a
: excluding others from participation
b
: snobbishly aloof
3
a
: accepting or soliciting only a socially restricted patronage (as of the upper class)
c
: restricted in distribution, use, or appeal because of expense
4
a
: single, sole
exclusive jurisdiction
b
: whole, undivided
his exclusive attention
exclusiveness noun

exclusive

2 of 2

noun

: something exclusive: such as
a
: a news story at first released to or reported by only one source
b
: an exclusive right (as to sell a particular product in a certain area)

Did you know?

In words such as expel, export, and exclusive, the prefix ex- means "out of, outside". Thus, to exclude means basically to close the door in order to keep someone or something out. When the word appears in an advertisement, it's often making an appeal to snobs. An "exclusive" offer is supposedly made to only a few people; not so many years ago, "exclusive" housing developments excluded those of a certain race or color. If a product is being sold exclusively by one store, you won't be able to find it anywhere else. When a newspaper or news show has an exclusive, it's a story that no one else has yet reported. Exclusive's antonym is inclusive; an inclusive policy, an inclusive church, or an inclusive approach is one that aims to include as many people as possible.

Examples of exclusive in a Sentence

Adjective He belongs to an exclusive club. She attended an exclusive private school. one of the city's most exclusive restaurants They gave their exclusive attention to the job.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Starship Home is a Quest 3 exclusive; its first, according to UploadVR. Wes Davis, The Verge, 16 Mar. 2024 Ye and Ty Dolla $ign sat down with Big Boy to talk all things Vultures for an exclusive interview. Angel Diaz, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The Outsiders is jumping from the page to the stage for an electric new Broadway musical — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first listen and music-video premiere at one of its most poignant songs. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The hotel has quietly been completing a top-down refresh of the most exclusive suites within this 4,004-room campus. David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 Fresh off a month of shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, Vogue editors welcomed Vogue Club members to the magazine’s headquarters for an exclusive inside look at what really went down during the fall 2024 shows. Irene Kim, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 In July 2022, the two ate dinner with Tom Cruise at London's exclusive The Twenty Two. Alexia Fernández, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
The album will not likely have much of a presence on streaming, but should sell fairly well – helped by five vinyl variants, including an indie retailer exclusive red-color vinyl and an artist-webstore-only picture disc, as well as three CD editions, including exclusives for both Target and Amazon. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 Each week, Maricopa and Pinal county reporter Sasha Hupka reports and curates must-know campaign news, insider exclusives and service-style voter tips from Arizona’s largest and most talented elections team. Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 There also will be exclusives and goodies as well as a special Miss Dior flower shop — a tribute to the love of flowers that Dior and his sister Catherine shared. The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 After first releasing an elaborate box set of the film in January as an exclusive on the company’s own website, Arrow Video is now releasing it everywhere with different packaging and a bounty of extras. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 So, why does Microsoft need to launch Xbox exclusives on rival platforms? Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Feb. 2024 Shortly after the film’s release, Walmart made their new steelbook exclusive (a special release of the DVD in a steel case, rather than the usual plastic) of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes available for preorder, which is anticipated to ship on Jan. 2, 2024. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023 The sales were bolstered with the choice of 14 variants as well as exclusives offered on their website and with retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Target, and Walmart. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 First up was the D.C. exclusive, Cherry Blossom Old Fashioned — what better way to ring in cherry blossom season? Zoe Glasser, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exclusive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1515, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exclusive was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near exclusive

Cite this Entry

“Exclusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exclusive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

exclusive

adjective
ex·​clu·​sive
iks-ˈklü-siv,
-ziv
1
: excluding or trying to exclude others
an exclusive neighborhood
2
: sole entry 4 sense 2a
we have exclusive use of the beach
3
: full entry 1 sense 2c, complete
gave their exclusive attention to the job
exclusively adverb
exclusiveness noun

Legal Definition

exclusive

adjective
ex·​clu·​sive
1
a
: excluding or having power to exclude others
exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveriesU.S. Constitution art. I
b
: being independent from or not shared by others : sole
exclusive control
exclusive use
2
: limiting or limited to possession, ownership, or use by a single individual or group
an exclusive lease

More from Merriam-Webster on exclusive

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