noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of exclusion
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin exclūsiōn- (stem of exclūsiō ), equivalent to exclūs(us) (past participle of exclūdere “to shut out”; see exclude) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
An exclusion is an instance of leaving something or someone out. If you love someone to the exclusion of all others, he or she is the only one for you! Exclusion is closely related to some words that have a positive or negative feel. The word exclusive implies something is high-end, desirable, and not for ordinary people. If someone is excluded, on the other hand, it means that someone has been deliberately and painfully left out. Exclusion is more neutral. The department store that advertises a big sale often states at the bottom of the ad that "some exclusions apply," meaning the discounts don't apply to all items.
Vocabulary lists containing exclusion
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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Promises to Keep
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Geography and World Regions
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"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
But false reports about exhausted runners after the first women’s 800-meter race helped justify the exclusion of this women’s race until 1960.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The reputational-risk defense that shielded a decade of categorical exclusion is gone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Schools can give up to three reasons for every suspension or exclusion.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The feelings of dismissal and exclusion were overwhelming and suffocating for me.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
She told the BBC there were "far too many exclusions, and there are plenty of exclusions that can be prevented".
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The tax break could be applied to proceeds collected by both the founder and trust, resulting in two $15 million exclusions at exit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
They allege that the final regulations for the law, drafted and approved by the state’s waste agency, include exclusions for large categories of plastic packaging that companies could use indefinitely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
For instance, Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s past legal research on Batson jury exclusions at least arguably helped influence his surprisingly good racial jury selection opinion from two weeks ago.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
She sealed herself over and drove ahead with the singleness of purpose, the exclusions, of any tormented thing.
From Fidelity A Novel by Glaspell, Susan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
