inclusion

American  

[in-kloo-zhuhn] / ɪnˈklu ʒən /

noun

inclusions plural

1. the act of including.

2. the state of being included.

3. something that is included.

4. the practice or policy of including and integrating all people and groups in activities, organizations, political processes, etc., especially those who are disadvantaged, have suffered discrimination, or are living with disabilities: Our company is committed to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

   Political and civic inclusion is vital to a sustainable democracy.

   Our company is committed to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

5. the educational policy of placing students with physical or mental disabilities in regular classrooms and providing them with certain accommodations.

6. Biology. a body suspended in the cytoplasm, as a granule.

7. Mineralogy. a solid body or a body of gas or liquid enclosed within the mass of a mineral.

8. Petrography. xenolith.

9. Logic, Mathematics. the relationship between two sets when the second is a subset of the first.

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inclusion British  

/ ɪnˈkluːʒən /

noun

1. the act of including or the state of being included

2. something included

3. geology a solid fragment, liquid globule, or pocket of gas enclosed in a mineral or rock

4. maths

   1.  X⊆Y.  the relation between two sets that obtains when all the members of the first are members of the second

   2.  X⊂Y.  the relation that obtains between two sets when the first includes the second but not vice versa

5. engineering a foreign particle in a metal, such as a particle of metal oxide

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noninclusion
  noun
• preinclusion
  noun
• reinclusion
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inclusions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inclusion

First recorded in 1590–1600; inclusion def. 9 was first recorded in 1945–50; from Latin inclūsiōn- (stem of inclūsiō ) “a shutting in,” equivalent to inclūs(us) ( see incluse) + -iōn- noun suffix ( see -ion)

Explanation

Inclusion is the act of including someone in something, like a school, club, or team. If you are familiar with the word include — meaning to make someone or something a part of something larger — then inclusion should make sense. You might be happy at your inclusion on the school's volleyball team. The inclusion of an actor in a movie is exciting. When there's a new President, people wait and see who will earn inclusion in the cabinet. In biology, an inclusion body is a very small body found within another on the cellular level.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inclusion inclusions

"This policy is not exclusion, it is structured inclusion," said Payne Farai Kupfuwa, founder of the Young Miners Foundation, welcoming the move.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

“Sociology’s sacred project champions emancipation, autonomy, equality, justice, inclusion, diversity, open-mindedness, progress, tolerance, and cosmopolitanism,” Smith wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

"What we're seeing in tribunals is rarely the result of deliberate discrimination," says Lutfur Ali, a diversity and inclusion adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the professional body for HR.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, has repeatedly positioned the sport as a force for inclusion and social cohesion; soccer diplomacy is being elevated as the panacea for our current global disharmony.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

There are many reasons for the inclusion of diversity in education, not the least of which is a mandated curriculum in many school districts.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Our awards columnist surveys the most unexpected inclusions and omissions of the 2026 Emmy nominations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

SpaceX joined the Russell 1000 index and is set to join the Nasdaq-100 on July 7, marking major index inclusions.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

The front-desk agent painstakingly explained all the inclusions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

France, who retained the title in the most dramatic of circumstances by beating England in Paris, also have four players chosen, while Italy and Scotland boast three inclusions and Wales one.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

A real diamond, his father used to say, is never entirely free of inclusions.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• admittance
• formation
• incorporation
• involvement