exclusive

adjective

ex·clu·sive | \ ik-ˈsklü-siv

, -ziv\

Definition of exclusive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : excluding or having power to exclude

b : limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group

2a : excluding others from participation

b : snobbishly aloof

3a : accepting or soliciting only a socially restricted patronage (as of the upper class)

b : stylish, fashionable

c : restricted in distribution, use, or appeal because of expense

4a : single, sole exclusive jurisdiction

b : whole, undivided his exclusive attention

exclusive

noun

Definition of exclusive (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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)

Other Words from exclusive Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about exclusive

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Synonyms & Antonyms for exclusive

Synonyms: Adjective

single, sole, unshared

Antonyms: Adjective

nonexclusive

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

The provision dates to 1927, when an order by the administration of the then-princely state of Jammu and Kashmir gave its subjects exclusive hereditary rights. — Anchorage Daily News, "Unrest feared after India revokes Kashmir’s special status," 5 Aug. 2019 The law dates to 1927, when an order by the administration of the then-princely state of Jammu and Kashmir gave its subjects exclusive hereditary rights. — NBC News, "India's government revokes disputed Kashmir's special status," 5 Aug. 2019 On Sunday, 60 Minutes Australia aired an exclusive interview with Olivia and her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "Olivia Newton-John's Daughter Gives Rare Emotional Update About Her Mom's Cancer," 5 Aug. 2019 After signing a lucrative pact with BBC Studios, HBO Max has acquired exclusive streaming rights to all existing 11 modern-era seasons of the long-running British sci-fi series, which was revived in 2005. — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, "‘Doctor Who’ Will Stream Exclusively on HBO Max," 1 Aug. 2019 Both drugmakers recently lost exclusive rights to manufacture drugs that were big money makers for the companies. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN, "Viagra and EpiPen drugmakers form a $20-billion-a-year powerhouse," 29 July 2019 Here a nation would have exclusive rights to resources on and under the seabed but not in the water column above it (fishing and navigation would remain open). — Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, "Nations Claim Large Overlapping Sections of Arctic Seafloor," 23 July 2019 Lyft wins its lawsuit against San Francisco after a judge decides its bike-share company, Motivate, has exclusive rights to rent docked and dockless bikes in the city. — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, "A Meditation on Moon Shots, a Mid-Engine Corvette, and More Car News This Week," 21 July 2019 In an exclusive interview with Business of Fashion, the singer revealed that the collection will include makeup kits that combine lip gloss, lip liner, and all-over color. — Vogue, "Lady Gaga Is Launching a Makeup Line, Haus Laboratories—Here’s What We Know," 9 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Marketing via social media—through influencers and micro-influencers—is now a big business (Quartz member exclusive). — Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Quartzy, "The future of fashion will be run by influencers," 10 Aug. 2019 At the end of May, the actor and writer Mindy Kaling announced that her third book would be an Amazon exclusive, free to Kindle Unlimited and Prime subscribers. — Blake Montgomery, The Atlantic, "The Amazon Publishing Juggernaut," 8 Aug. 2019 Have any of Football Insider's 'exclusives' ever actually come to anything? — SI.com, "Transfer Rumours: Spurs Closing on Sessegnon, Pogba Rubbish Returns, Arsenal Bid Rejected & More," 5 Aug. 2019 But esports are a big business (Quartz member exclusive), and watching people play these video games is a popular pastime, with fans packing arenas to watch giant screens en masse. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "A teen just made $3 million playing Fortnite," 28 July 2019 Iovine, the old-school music executive, spent what, sources say, some in the music division considered an excessive amount of money on exclusives, music videos and documentaries. — Micah Singleton, Billboard, "Apple Music's Next Era -- And the New Leader Spurring Global Growth," 25 July 2019 Other Chicago breweries have also dabbled in dark lagers, such as Half Acre and Dovetail, which brew them occasionally as draft-only taproom exclusives, and Metropolitan, which is the rare American brewery to make a dark lager year-round. — Josh Noel, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago beermakers brew up a mystery: Where did all these dark lagers come from?," 15 July 2019 More: Why some Reds fans won't be able to watch the team on Dish Network/Sling TV Subscriber exclusive: Will Reds buy or sell at MLB Trade Deadline? — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel feeling better after leaving game, says it wasn't vertigo," 26 July 2019 As more and more transactions take place digitally and online (Quartz member exclusive), payment company assets are in hot demand. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Visa is in talks to acquire part of Nordic payment firm Nets," 25 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exclusive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.