Meaning & use
exclusion
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Meanings
noununcountable
The act of leaving someone or something out, or not allowing them to take part.
Grammar: Usually followed by from: exclusion from the team.
Patterns
- exclusion from something
- the exclusion of someone
The exclusion of women from the vote lasted decades.
Her exclusion from the guest list hurt her feelings.
Social exclusion can harm young people's health.
nouncountablebusiness
Something specifically left out of an agreement, list or insurance policy.
Grammar: Countable in contracts: read the exclusions.
Patterns
- an exclusion in something
The policy has an exclusion for flood damage.
Check the exclusions before buying travel insurance.
One exclusion in the contract covers late deliveries.
nouncountable or uncountableBritish
An official ban from school, often temporary.
Grammar: British usage for suspension or expulsion.
Patterns
- exclusion from school
The pupil faced a three-day exclusion.
Exclusion from school should be a last resort.
The number of exclusions fell this year.
Word forms
| plural | exclusions |
|---|
Common combinations
- social exclusion
- Social exclusion affects people on low incomes.
- exclusion from
- His exclusion from the squad surprised fans.
- to the exclusion of
- She studied to the exclusion of everything else.
- exclusion zone
- A military exclusion zone surrounds the site.
- policy exclusion
- A policy exclusion left them without cover.
Synonyms and how they differ
- omission
- Omission is leaving something out, often by accident, while exclusion is usually deliberate.
- ban
- Ban is a formal prohibition, but exclusion can be informal and social.
- rejection
- Rejection means being refused, while exclusion means being kept out or left out.
- isolation
- Isolation is a state of being apart, not necessarily caused by others.
Opposites
Word family
- exclude verb
- to leave out or keep out
- exclusive adjective
- limited to a few, or not shared
- exclusively adverb
- only
- exclusionary adjective
- tending to keep people out
Commonly confused: exclusion or exclusive? exclusion or seclusion?
exclusion vs exclusive
Exclusive describes something limited to a select few; exclusion is the act of leaving someone out.
exclusion vs seclusion
Seclusion is being kept away from others, often by choice; exclusion is being shut out by others.
Practice
Many students felt a sense of ______ from the school's social events.
Choose one answer.
Exclusion from means being left out. Exclusive is an adjective, so it cannot follow a sense of.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exclusion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.