mutually exclusive

adjective

: being related such that each excludes or precludes the other

mutually exclusive events

also : incompatible

their outlooks were not mutually exclusive

Synonyms

• clashing
• conflicting
• disagreeing
• discordant
• discrepant
• incompatible
• incongruous
• inconsistent
• inconsonant
• inharmonious
• repugnant

Examples of mutually exclusive in a Sentence

the two plans are mutually exclusive; implementing one will automatically rule out the other

Recent Examples on the Web

But Black women are rewriting that narrative, demonstrating that single motherhood and entrepreneurship are not mutually exclusive. —Essence, 9 May 2025

Her comments have already sparked pushback online, with many people pointing out that, despite her implication, loving men and feminism are not mutually exclusive. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 May 2025

Multidimensional experiences are fueled by human understanding, debunking the idea that profound empathy and profound business growth are mutually exclusive. —Olivia Reid, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2025

Gilroy rejects cultural nationalism and rooted identity formation, instead calling attention to the mobile, hybrid double-consciousness of modern Black identity—being European and being Black, for instance, are not and were not mutually exclusive. —Abby Clayton, JSTOR Daily, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mutually exclusive

• abusive
• allusive
• collusive
• conclusive
• conducive
• delusive
• diffusive
• elusive
• extrusive
• illusive
• inclusive
• intrusive