The Meaning of Inclusive: What It Is and How To Use It

If something is inclusive, what does that mean? This article will cover the meaning of inclusive, its origin, and how to use it! 

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There are many ways that people can be inclusive. This article will cover the various meanings of inclusive and how to use them in a sentence. We’re also going over the origin of the word inclusive, translations, and synonyms and antonyms. Read on to learn about inclusive things!

What Does the Word Inclusive Mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, the adjective inclusive refers to something that is comprehensive or includes the stated limits. Something inclusive does not discriminate against a particular group of people. Inclusive can also refer to the first-person plural pronoun when a person includes the person who is being addressed.

Inclusive is three syllables: in-clu-sive. To create the adverb form of inclusive, add the suffix -ly to create inclusively. To create the noun version of inclusive, add the suffix -ness to form inclusiveness or the suffix -ity to form inclusivity.

What Is the Origin of the Word Inclusive?

According to Dictionary, the word inclusive has been used since Middle English in the 15th century. This word comes from the Medieval Latin inclūsīvus and Latin inclūs.

How Can Inclusive Be Used in a Sentence?

The word inclusive can be used in several contexts. Inclusive can refer to something that is welcoming and inviting or something that includes its specific parameters. 

See if you can determine which definition of inclusive is being used in the below sentences. Then, try coming up with your own inclusive examples!

Example #1: An Inclusive Fee

We paid the all-inclusive fee for the resort in the British Isles. The inclusive price included buffet-style restaurant access with free pizza, gym access, and parties on Monday and Thursday.

Example #2: An Inclusive Society

They wanted to form an inclusive society free of discrimination based on gender identity, national origin, spiritual beliefs, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. 

Example #3: An Inclusive Survey

The data scientists did an inclusive survey of world views on economic affairs, the new trade agreements with Europe, and how linguistics shaped the concept of history. 

Example #4: An Inclusive Education

The school was focused on inclusive education and inclusive classrooms for special education students where they could receive occupational therapy without stigma.

Example #5: An Inclusive Form of Art

The inclusive art form advocated for diversity and for all people to participate, contrasting the exclusive club of artists who practiced discrimination. They wanted to hear from all perspectives, not just specified extremes.

Example #6: All-Inclusive Access

He gave the apps on his phone inclusive access to the device via his privacy settings. 

What Are Translations of Inclusive?

The ability to be inclusive is not an exclusively English concept. Many world languages have translations of inclusive that can be used when discussing things that are inclusive. 

When you look at the below list of translations of inclusive from Nice Translator, you may notice that many of these translations of inclusive look alike. These are called cognates of inclusive, which are formed when two words in different languages share a root. Since inclusive comes from Latin, it is likely that many of the below translations come from Latin as well.

  • Gujarati: વ્યાપક
  • Hungarian: befogadó
  • Dutch: inclusief
  • Malayalam: അടങ്ങിയ
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 包括的
  • Hebrew: כָּלוּל
  • Hindi: सहित
  • Estonian: kaasa arvatud
  • Portuguese (Portugal): inclusivo
  • Kannada: ಅಂತರ್ಗತ
  • German: inklusive
  • Slovak: inkluzívny
  • Italian: incluso
  • French: compris
  • Polish: włącznie
  • Chinese (PRC): 包括的
  • Greek: περιεκτικός
  • Tamil: உள்ளடக்கியது
  • Croatian: inkluzivan
  • Catalan: inclusiu
  • Lithuanian: įskaičiuota.
  • Telugu: కలుపుకొని
  • Arabic: شامل
  • Marathi: समावेशक
  • Vietnamese: bao gồm
  • Bulgarian: приобщаващ
  • Amharic: አካታች
  • Danish: inklusive
  • Swahili: pamoja.
  • Urdu: شامل
  • Turkish: dahil
  • Russian: включительно
  • Welsh: gynhwysol
  • Indonesian: inklusif
  • Japanese: 包む
  • Slovenian: vključujoče
  • Thai: รวม
  • Norwegian: inklusive
  • Portuguese (Brazil): inclusivo
  • Romanian: inclusiv
  • Bengali: অন্তর্ভুক্ত
  • Icelandic: innifalið
  • Spanish: inclusivo
  • Malay: Termasuk
  • Filipino: kasama
  • Finnish: mukaan lukien
  • Latvian: iekļaujošs
  • Swedish: inkludera
  • Basque: barne
  • Czech: inkluzivní
  • Korean: 포함한
  • Ukrainian: інклюзивний
  • Serbian: укључив

What Are Synonyms of the Word Inclusive?

Inclusive has a positive connotation, but you might be looking for a word with a more neutral or negative connotation. You might even be looking to change things up after using the word inclusive too many times. For this, you can use a synonym of inclusive from Power Thesaurus.

  • across the board
  • all-around
  • all-comprehensive
  • all-embracing
  • all-encompassing
  • all-inclusive
  • all-pervading
  • all-round
  • blanket
  • broad
  • broad-gauge
  • catholic
  • common
  • complete
  • comprehensive
  • comprising
  • considerate
  • diplomatic
  • eclectic
  • ecumenical
  • encyclopedic
  • entire
  • exhaustive
  • extensive
  • far-reaching
  • full
  • gender-free
  • general
  • generic
  • global
  • include
  • including
  • inclusion
  • inoffensive
  • integral
  • integrated
  • international
  • liberal
  • mass
  • multicultural
  • multiculturally sensitive
  • nondiscriminatory
  • nonracist
  • nonsexist
  • omnibus
  • open
  • overall
  • panoramic
  • political correctness
  • sensitive to other
  • socially acceptable
  • sweeping
  • thorough
  • total
  • umbrella
  • universal
  • whole
  • wholesale
  • wide
  • wide-ranging
  • widespread
  • worldwide

What Are Antonyms of Inclusive?

Many words have the opposite meaning of the word inclusive, which are also listed below from Power Thesaurus.

  • aristocratic
  • chic
  • choice
  • clannish
  • classy
  • cliquish
  • closed
  • dedicated
  • deluxe
  • elegant
  • elite
  • especial
  • exceptional
  • excluding
  • exclusionary
  • exclusive
  • fancy
  • fashionable
  • high-class
  • high-toned
  • incompatible
  • individual
  • inside
  • limited
  • lone
  • only
  • particular
  • personal
  • posh
  • preferred
  • private
  • privileged
  • prohibitive
  • restricted
  • restrictive
  • ritzy
  • scoop
  • select
  • single
  • singular
  • smart
  • sole
  • solitary
  • special
  • stylish
  • superior
  • swank
  • swanky
  • undivided
  • unique
  • unshared
  • upmarket
  • upscale

Conclusion

Inclusive (adj.) means non-discriminatory or including the stated limits of a group. The word inclusive can describe welcoming people or parameters that include the ending limits. Try using the word inclusive in a sentence today!

Sources:

  1. Inclusive synonyms – 763 Words and Phrases for Inclusive | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Inclusive antonyms – 217 Opposites of Inclusive | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Inclusive Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  4. Inclusive definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  5. Inclusive | Nice Translator