exclusivity

[ eks-kloo-siv-i-tee ]

noun

1. the fact of shutting out some other thing; incompatibility:

   The apparent mutual exclusivity of their claims might seem to lead to inevitable conflict and deadlock.

2. the act or practice of shutting out all others from a relation, process, location, etc.:

   The vows of marriage speak of exclusivity, permanence, and total self-giving.

   The program encourages mothers to maintain breastfeeding exclusivity—no formula or solid food—for the first six months of their infant’s life.

3. the tendency to resist including those who are different or do not meet a narrow set of criteria:

   The island’s population has maintained strong ties to cultural traditions—yet it is not a culture of exclusivity, but one that provides pathways for all to prosper.

4. the fact or quality of catering to, or being restricted to, affluent or upper-class people, often by virtue of comparatively high prices:

   It is one of the most fashionable vacation hotspots in the world, with a reputation for exclusivity, luxury, and breathtaking beauty.

5. a provision in a contract or piece of legislation that shuts out competition:

   Ending handset exclusivity will allow cell phone carriers to attract customers based on network quality and the services offered.

Other Words From

• sem·i·ex·clu·sive·ness noun
• sem·i·ex·clu·siv·i·ty noun
• ul·tra·ex·clu·sive·ness noun
• ul·tra·ex·clu·siv·i·ty noun
• un·ex·clu·sive·ness noun
• un·ex·clu·siv·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of exclusivity¹

First recorded in 1880–85; from French exclusivité, equivalent to exclusiv(e) ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

PlayStation-exclusive titles like “Uncharted” and “The Last of Us” have pioneered facial animation technology to express convincing emotion.

From Washington Post

“I probably have my asthma to thank, a little bit, for being a competitive video game player, because it kind of took me out of sports,” Bjerg told The Post in an exclusive retrospective interview on his career.

From Washington Post

The Swiss company has a 10-year exclusive collaboration deal to produce mRNA products for Moderna.

From Fortune

In the second of two exclusive interviews, Technology Review’s Editor-in-Chief Gideon Lichfield sat down with Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s Chief Technology officer to discuss the rise of misinformation on the social media platform.

From MIT Technology Review

It remains to be seen whether this tool comes to more phones in the future, or if Google’s devices get more exclusive features on this particular platform.

From Popular-Science

The exclusivity of parts of Egypt is a bit ironic, as history has had perhaps no more popular travel destination.

From The Daily Beast

They are consistent with the same old exclusivity and elitism of the suntanned Sabra soldier.

From The Daily Beast

As with many places in Washington, the allure of the gym is not its luxury (or lack thereof), but its exclusivity.

From The Daily Beast

When caught on camera, he told the other news reporters trying to interview his prized catch: “We have exclusivity!”

From The Daily Beast

Compatibility is hard enough to come by without tossing racial exclusivity into the mix.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• particularity