exclusive

ex·clu·sive
E1X8C3L1U1S1I1V4E1
US, UK/ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/US, UK/ɪkˈsklu.zɪv/

adjective

Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.

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

Very commonScrabble 21

Meanings

adjectiveexclusive (comparative more exclusive, superlative most exclusive)

comparative more exclusive · superlative most exclusive

  1. literallyExcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.
  2. figurativelyReferring to a membership organisation, service or product: of high quality and/or renown, for superior members only.

    Synonyms: sole

  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.

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

  4. Whole, undivided, entire.

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

  5. human sciencesOf or relating to the first-person plural pronoun when excluding the person being addressed.

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

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

    They decided to no longer be exclusive.

nounexclusive (plural exclusives)

plural exclusives

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

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

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

    The exclusives at the English Universities apply the term CAD to all non-members.

    1873, The Slang Dictionary, John Camden Hotten
  3. grammarA word or phrase that restricts something, such as only, solely, or simply.

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivenot divided or shared with others

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

Opposite

adjectivenot divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective

nouna news report that is reported first by one news organization

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinexclūsīvus
  2. Englishexclusive

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic حَصْرِيّ
  • حَصْرِيّ (ḥaṣriyy)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
Bulgarian изключи́телен, отли́чен
  • изключи́телен (izključítelen)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • отли́чен (otlíčen)of high quality and/or renown
Catalan exclusiu, exclusiu
  • exclusiuexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • exclusiuof high quality and/or renown
Chinese Mandarin 獨家 /独家, 獨一 /独一
  • 獨家 /独家 (dújiā)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • 獨一 /独一 (dúyī)of high quality and/or renown
  • 獨一無二 /独一无二 (dúyīwú'èr)of high quality and/or renown
Dutch exclusief, exclusief(je)
  • exclusiefof high quality and/or renown
  • exclusief(je)information granted exclusively
Esperanto ekskluziva
  • ekskluzivawhole, undivided, entire
Finnish poissulkeva, eksklusiivinen
  • poissulkevaexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • eksklusiivinenexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • eksklusiivinenof high quality and/or renown
  • yksinomainenwhole, undivided, entire
  • jakamatonwhole, undivided, entire
  • yksinoikeusjuttuinformation granted exclusively
French exclusif, exclusif
  • exclusifexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • exclusifof high quality and/or renown
German ausschließlich, exklusiv
  • ausschließlichexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • exklusivof high quality and/or renown
Greek αποκλειστικός
  • αποκλειστικός (apokleistikós)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
Hebrew בִּלְעָדִי, בִּלְעָדִי
  • בִּלְעָדִי (bil'adí)of high quality and/or renown
  • בִּלְעָדִי (bil'adí)whole, undivided, entire
Hungarian kizárólagos, egyedüli
  • kizárólagosexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • egyedüliexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • luxus-of high quality and/or renown
  • exkluzívof high quality and/or renown
  • zárt körűof high quality and/or renown
  • teljeswhole, undivided, entire
  • osztatlanwhole, undivided, entire
Indonesian eksklusif, eksklusif
  • eksklusifexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • eksklusifof high quality and/or renown
Italian esclusivo, esclusorio
  • esclusivoexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • esclusorioexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
Māori aukati
  • aukatiexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
Polish ekskluzywny, wyłączny
  • ekskluzywnyexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • wyłącznyexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • ekskluzywnyof high quality and/or renown
Portuguese exclusivo, exclusivo
  • exclusivoexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • exclusivoof high quality and/or renown
Russian исключи́тельный, эксклюзи́вный
  • исключи́тельный (isključítelʹnyj)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • эксклюзи́вный (ekskljuzívnyj)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • эксклюзи́вный (ekskljuzívnyj)of high quality and/or renown
  • отли́чный (otlíčnyj)of high quality and/or renown
Spanish exclusivo, primicia
  • exclusivoexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • primiciainformation granted exclusively
  • emprimainformation granted exclusively
  • tubazoinformation granted exclusively
  • chivainformation granted exclusively
Swedish exklusiv, exklusiv
  • exklusivexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • exklusivof high quality and/or renown
Turkish seçkin, seçkin
  • seçkinexcluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • seçkininformation granted exclusively
Ukrainian ви́ключний, ексклюзи́вний
  • ви́ключний (výključnyj)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
  • ексклюзи́вний (ekskljuzývnyj)excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions
Cite this entry
APA

exclusive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exclusive

MLA

“exclusive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exclusive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exclusive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exclusive.

Source: exclusive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.