1 exclusive | Definition of exclusive

exclusive

adjective
ex·​clu·​sive | \ ik-ˈsklü-siv How to pronounce exclusive (audio) , -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)
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)

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Other Words from exclusive

Adjective

exclusiveness noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for exclusive

Synonyms: Adjective

single, sole, unshared

Antonyms: Adjective

nonexclusive

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Subscribers will have access to a library of over 100 games, including titles that will remain exclusive to the platform. Brittany Vincent, CNN Underscored, "Apple confirms Apple Arcade release date and pricing structure," 10 Sep. 2019 Check out our exclusive guide and follow along on her Philippines adventure to uncover the allure of El Nido. Danielle Pointdujour, Essence, "Black Travel Vibes: Discover Gorgeous Hidden Beaches In El Nido, Philippines," 10 Sep. 2019 After talks with Akinci Monday, Cavusoglu addressed another thorny issue: Turkey’s drilling for natural gas in waters where Cyprus’ internationally recognized government has exclusive rights. Washington Post, "Turkey: Turkish Cypriot power parity key to new peace talks," 9 Sep. 2019 Davis, who was playing on an exclusive rights tender that was slated to pay him $645,000 this season, received a $4 million signing bonus as part of his new deal. Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, "Dolphins sign O-lineman Jesse Davis to a three-year, $15 million extension," 7 Sep. 2019 In the past decades, many have questioned Brazil’s exclusive right to the Amazon. Felipe Araujo, The New Republic, "The Best Way to Fight Fires in the Amazon," 5 Sep. 2019 Sportradar now has the exclusive right to sell official N.F.L. data to casinos and sports books worldwide. Kevin Draper, New York Times, "Sports Betting Has Arrived to Transform the N.F.L. Or Not.," 4 Sep. 2019 The agreement, announced Tuesday, gives Mundipharma exclusive rights to the drug outside the U.S. and Japan. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Cidara gets $30M upfront, possibly hundreds of millions more, for its antifungal drug," 4 Sep. 2019 The registry comes less than a month after the Modi government unilaterally stripped Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, of special constitutional protections that gave it political autonomy and exclusive land rights. NBC News, "India leaves nearly two million people off citizens' list," 31 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The east side of the park is dominated by aspens, while the west side features the western larch, a conifer exclusive to the Inland Northwest. Justin Franz, The Know, "Have Glacier National Park to yourself," 1 Sep. 2019 The east side of the park is dominated by aspens, and the west side features the western larch, a conifer exclusive to the Inland Northwest. Justin Franz, Houston Chronicle, "Have Glacier National Park to yourself in the fall," 30 Aug. 2019 The iPhone maker has a knack for selecting high-quality third-party products, which are often Apple exclusives. Julio Ojeda-zapata, Twin Cities, "MN drivers: If you want to use your phone in the car, you’ll need a mount. Here’s how to select one.," 25 July 2019 Rather than building its own exclusive walled garden, Fitbit is keeping its products affordable and reaching out to the apps, designers and doctors that you, the potential user, already love. Adrienne So, WIRED, "Fitbit Wants to Be Your One-Stop Health Care Shop," 28 Aug. 2019 The east side of the park is dominated by aspens, while the west side features the western larch, a conifer exclusive to the Inland Northwest. Justin Franz, Washington Post, "Enjoying Glacier National Park’s quiet season," 23 Aug. 2019 The latest Barry’s gear will be available for purchase in the studio’s lobby, featuring tank tops, hats, shorts, leggings, tights and exclusives from fitness brands such as Nike and Lululemon. George Avalos, The Mercury News, "Barry’s Bootcamp gets ready to open at San Jose’s Santana Row," 21 Aug. 2019 That said, Insomniac has worked with other companies in recent years as well — notably developing Sunset Overdrive (one of the Xbox One’s earliest console exclusives) with Microsoft, as well as Stormland, an open-world VR title for Oculus. Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Sony acquires Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games," 19 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, Silicon Valley is driving a different sort of gold rush around anti-aging and longevity (Quartz membership exclusive). Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Quartzy, "FaceApp only shows the older version of ourselves we want to see," 19 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.

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First Known Use of exclusive

Adjective

1515, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for exclusive

exclusive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of exclusive

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: not shared : available to only one person or group
: only allowing in people from a high social class
: available to only a few people because of high cost

exclusive

noun

English Language Learners Definition of exclusive (Entry 2 of 2)

: a news story that appears in only one newspaper or that is broadcast by only one television or radio station