mutually exclusive

American  

[myoo-choo-uh-lee ik-skloo-siv, -ziv] / ˈmyu tʃu ə li ɪkˈsklu sɪv, -zɪv /

adjective

1. of or relating to a situation involving two or more events, possibilities, etc., in which the occurrence of one precludes the occurrence of the other.

   mutually exclusive plans of action.

---

Usage

What does mutually exclusive mean? Describing two things as mutually exclusive means that they can’t both exist, be true, or happen at the same time. In most cases, the phrase implies that one of the things prevents the other from happening or being true, or that both things prevent each other from happening or being true. Mutually exclusive is often used in negative constructions about things that are said to be not mutually exclusive—meaning they can both happen or be true at the same time. Example: Kindness and a good business sense are not mutually exclusive—it’s possible to be financially successful without being a jerk.

Etymology

Origin of mutually exclusive

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The president’s threats suggest they weren’t so mutually exclusive after all.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026

“We don’t see software and semis being mutually exclusive, but for many the question becomes, ‘Why bother with software if semis are going to outperform on an absolute and relative basis?’”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Instead, it is an agglomeration of mutually exclusive cultures established separately on the continent at different times by different peoples, each based on its own disparate “habits, beliefs, customs, values, and ideals.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Fact and fiction have been blended together, but Knight says he doesn't see those two things as mutually exclusive, as "it's often the true events that are the least believable".

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025

The probability of obtaining exactly one 4 among the three dice is likewise determined by breaking the event into the three mutually exclusive ways it can happen.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos