excluding everyone but

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "excluding everyone but" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when specifying a particular group or individual while indicating that all others are not included. Example: "The meeting will be held in the conference room, excluding everyone but the project leads."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

"They've excluded everyone but the institutional buyers," said one information technology manager.

The New York Times

MAPPS has sued the federal government to exclude everyone but licensed engineers and surveyors from federal government contracts for "mapping" services of every sort and description – not just those mapping services traditionally performed by surveyors.

University of California, Berkeley

Restricted in its use by investment amount minimums, which excluded everyone but the wealthiest, monies invested in the overnight instrument were rolled over day after day, with daily compounding far exceeding the rate of inflation, resulting in exorbitant gains - exactly the opposite impact that the working poor suffered.

Huffington Post

But by excluding everyone else: by excluding Charles (still an important figure in her life) and any real depiction of her relationship with her sons – perhaps through some unspoken deference to these important and very-much-alive royals – the film creates a distorted, sugary and preposterous impression.

The Guardian - Film

In 1751 he argued for excluding everyone from Pennsylvania except the English; Morgan calls him "the first spokesman for a lily-white America".

The New York Times - Books

I was excluding everyone.

HuffPost

The narcissism and intimacy of their exchanged symptoms could be infuriating, since it excluded everyone else, but it was so dopey that you laughed at it and forgave them.

The New Yorker

Have your own opinions, but don't exclude everyone else's.

WikiHow

Human beings are social creatures — some more than others — but if you have excluded everyone from your life, you may want to get some help.

WikiHow

Campaign for a real German national team!" It was specifically aimed at humiliating black German player Patrick Owomoyela, but if they were to exclude everyone other than pure-bred Germans, they'd currently be without the talents of Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, Jerome Boateng, Shkodran Mustafi, Lukas Podolski and Germany's all-time top scorer, Miroslav Klose.

Vice

We have an electoral system that excludes everyone outside of swing seats.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "excluding everyone but" to clearly define the limited scope of an action, event, or policy, leaving no ambiguity about who is included and who is not.

Common error

Avoid using "excluding everyone but" when you intend to create a more inclusive environment. This phrase inherently establishes a limited group and can create unnecessary division if misapplied.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "excluding everyone but" functions as a restrictive modifier. It specifies a limitation on a broader group, identifying those who are specifically not included. Ludwig confirms the phrase's validity.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "excluding everyone but" serves to establish strict limitations, specifying a small set of individuals or entities that are permitted while explicitly denying access or participation to all others. As shown by Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically sound and appears primarily in news and academic contexts. When using this phrase, clarity is key to ensure that the intended exclusions are well-understood, and alternative phrases such as "except for" or "only including" can provide softer nuances in certain situations. The main goal of using this phrase is to define access boundaries and to carefully manage expectations about the scope of a policy or decision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

excluding all except

Replaces "everyone" with "all", maintaining the same exclusionary meaning.

excluding all but

Similar to "excluding all except", this emphasizes the specific group that is not excluded.

only including

This alternative shifts the focus to inclusion, specifying those who are included rather than those who are excluded.

with the exception of

This alternative uses a more formal tone to indicate the exclusion of everyone not specifically mentioned.

except for

A simpler way to express the exclusion of everyone not mentioned, suitable for informal contexts.

apart from

Similar to "except for", this alternative indicates that everyone not mentioned is excluded.

save for

A less common but still valid alternative, maintaining the sense of exclusion.

excluding solely

Emphasizes that everyone is excluded except for one particular group.

restricting to only

Focuses on the act of restricting participation or inclusion to a specific group.

confined to only

Indicates a strict limitation, where participation is limited to a specific group.

FAQs

How can I use "excluding everyone but" in a sentence?

Use "excluding everyone but" to specify a group that is allowed access or participation while clearly stating that everyone else is not. For instance, "The event is open to the public, excluding everyone but registered members".

What phrases are similar to "excluding everyone but"?

Alternatives include "except for", "apart from", and "only including", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

When is it appropriate to use the phrase "excluding everyone but"?

It's appropriate when you want to define the exclusive set of participants for something, such as in policies, rules, or announcements. However, consider the potential impact of this exclusion and whether it's truly necessary.

Is "excluding everyone but" grammatically correct?

Yes, "excluding everyone but" is grammatically correct. It is a phrase used to clearly specify the limited scope of inclusion, indicating who is allowed and who is not.