Standard Lemma guide

exclusive

adj · noun · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsklu.zɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S K L UW1 S IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Referring to a membership organisation, service or product: of high quality and/or renown, for superior members only.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sole

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

A snobbish usage, suggesting that members who do not meet requirements, which may be financial, of social status, religion, skin colour etc., are excluded.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Exclusive clubs tend to serve exclusive brands of food and drinks, in the same exorbitant price range, such as the 'finest' French châteaux.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Exclusionary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Whole, undivided, entire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The teacher's pet commands the teacher's exclusive attention.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of or relating to the first-person plural pronoun when excluding the person being addressed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • The pronoun in "We're going to a party later, but you aren't invited" is an exclusive "we".

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Having a romantic or sexual relationship with one another, to the exclusion of others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • They decided to no longer be exclusive.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Information (or an artefact) that is granted or obtained exclusively.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The editor agreed to keep a lid on a potentially disastrous political scoop in exchange for an exclusive of a happier nature.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A member of a group who excludes others from their society.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A word or phrase that restricts something, such as only, solely, or simply.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

excluding much or all; especially all but a particular group or minority

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • exclusive clubs
  • an exclusive restaurants and shops

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: inclusive

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

not divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • judging a contest with a single eye
  • a single devotion to duty
  • undivided affection
  • gained their exclusive attention

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: single(a), undivided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

not divided or shared with others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they have exclusive use of the machine
  • sole rights of publication

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sole(a)

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

a news report that is reported first by one news organization

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he got a scoop on the bribery of city officials

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scoop

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: report, news report, story, account, write up

History

Etymology

From Latin exclūsīvus, from excludere (“to shut out, exclude”), from ex- (“out”) + variant form of verb claudere (“to close, shut”).

Across languages

Translations

68 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَصْرِيّ (ḥaṣriyy) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Armenian: բացառիկ (bacʻaṙik) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Asturian: esclusivu — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Belarusian: выклю́чны (vykljúčny) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Belarusian: эксклюзі́ўны (ekskljuzíwny) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Bulgarian: изключи́телен (izključítelen) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Catalan: exclusiu — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨家 /独家 (dújiā) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Finnish: poissulkeva — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Finnish: eksklusiivinen — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • French: exclusif — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Galician: exclusivo — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Galician: exclusiva — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Georgian: ექსკლუზიური (eksḳluziuri) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Georgian: გამომრიცხავი (gamomricxavi) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • German: ausschließlich — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Greek: αποκλειστικός (apokleistikós) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Hungarian: kizárólagos — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Hungarian: egyedüli — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Indonesian: eksklusif — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Italian: esclusivo — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Italian: esclusorio — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Māori: aukati — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Polish: ekskluzywny — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Polish: wyłączny — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Portuguese: exclusivo — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Russian: исключи́тельный (isključítelʹnyj) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Russian: эксклюзи́вный (ekskljuzívnyj) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Spanish: exclusivo — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Swedish: exklusiv — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Turkish: seçkin — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Ukrainian: ви́ключний (výključnyj) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Ukrainian: ексклюзи́вний (ekskljuzývnyj) — excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • Armenian: բացառիկ (bacʻaṙik) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Bulgarian: отли́чен (otlíčen) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Catalan: exclusiu — of high quality and/or renown
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨一 /独一 (dúyī) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨一無二 /独一无二 (dúyīwú'èr) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Dutch: exclusief — of high quality and/or renown
  • Finnish: eksklusiivinen — of high quality and/or renown
  • French: exclusif — of high quality and/or renown
  • Galician: exclusivo — of high quality and/or renown
  • Galician: exclusiva — of high quality and/or renown
  • Georgian: ექსკლუზიური (eksḳluziuri) — of high quality and/or renown
  • German: exklusiv — of high quality and/or renown
  • Hebrew: בִּלְעָדִי (bil'adí) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Hungarian: luxus- — of high quality and/or renown
  • Hungarian: exkluzív — of high quality and/or renown
  • Hungarian: zárt körű — of high quality and/or renown
  • Indonesian: eksklusif — of high quality and/or renown
  • Polish: ekskluzywny — of high quality and/or renown
  • Portuguese: exclusivo — of high quality and/or renown
  • Russian: эксклюзи́вный (ekskljuzívnyj) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Russian: отли́чный (otlíčnyj) — of high quality and/or renown
  • Swedish: exklusiv — of high quality and/or renown
  • Esperanto: ekskluziva — whole, undivided, entire
  • Finnish: yksinomainen — whole, undivided, entire
  • Finnish: jakamaton — whole, undivided, entire
  • Hebrew: בִּלְעָדִי (bil'adí) — whole, undivided, entire
  • Hungarian: teljes — whole, undivided, entire
  • Hungarian: osztatlan — whole, undivided, entire
  • Dutch: exclusief(je) — information granted exclusively
  • Finnish: yksinoikeusjuttu — information granted exclusively
  • Spanish: primicia — information granted exclusively
  • Spanish: emprima — information granted exclusively
  • Spanish: tubazo — information granted exclusively
  • Spanish: chiva — information granted exclusively
  • Turkish: seçkin — information granted exclusively
Real reading context

exclusive in complete knowledge articles