diff --git a/.changeset/es_highlight_exclude.md b/.changeset/es_highlight_exclude.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e7f8dbb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/es_highlight_exclude.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'contexture-elasticsearch': patch
+---
+
+node.exclude is removed from highlighting only when `highlightOtherMatches` is falsy.
diff --git a/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.js b/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.js
index 2c5ddd7b5..635969d99 100644
--- a/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.js
+++ b/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.js
@@ -197,25 +197,27 @@ export let getRequestHighlightFields = (schema, node) => {
   // TODO: `highlightOtherMatches` is an undocumented configuration value that we
   // are currently using to work around performance issues when highlighting
   // fields not included in the node.
-  if (!node.highlight?.highlightOtherMatches && _.isArray(node.include)) {
-    const include = expandGlobs(schema, node.include)
-    let subFields = getSchemaSubFields({
-      fields: _.pick(include, schema.fields),
-    })
-    highlightFields = _.pick(
-      _.uniq([...include, ..._.keys(subFields)]),
-      highlightFields
-    )
-  }
-  if (_.isArray(node.exclude)) {
-    const exclude = expandGlobs(schema, node.exclude)
-    let subFields = getSchemaSubFields({
-      fields: _.pick(exclude, schema.fields),
-    })
-    highlightFields = _.omit(
-      _.uniq([...exclude, ..._.keys(subFields)]),
-      highlightFields
-    )
+  if (!node.highlight?.highlightOtherMatches) {
+    if (_.isArray(node.include)) {
+      const include = expandGlobs(schema, node.include)
+      let subFields = getSchemaSubFields({
+        fields: _.pick(include, schema.fields),
+      })
+      highlightFields = _.pick(
+        _.uniq([...include, ..._.keys(subFields)]),
+        highlightFields
+      )
+    }
+    if (_.isArray(node.exclude)) {
+      const exclude = expandGlobs(schema, node.exclude)
+      let subFields = getSchemaSubFields({
+        fields: _.pick(exclude, schema.fields),
+      })
+      highlightFields = _.omit(
+        _.uniq([...exclude, ..._.keys(subFields)]),
+        highlightFields
+      )
+    }
   }
 
   return F.mapValuesIndexed(
diff --git a/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.test.js b/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.test.js
index 99fe1d156..4d87d51fd 100644
--- a/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.test.js
+++ b/packages/provider-elasticsearch/src/example-types/results/highlighting/request.test.js
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ describe('getRequestHighlightFields()', () => {
       'city.street.subfield': {},
     })
   })
-  it('should expand exclude, irrespective of highlightOtherMatches', () => {
+  it('should expand exclude,  depending on highlightOtherMatches', () => {
     const schema = {
       fields: {
         state: {
@@ -530,7 +530,12 @@ describe('getRequestHighlightFields()', () => {
       highlight: { highlightOtherMatches: true },
     }
     const actual1 = getRequestHighlightFields(schema, node1)
-    expect(actual1).toEqual({ state: {}, 'state.subfield': {} })
+    expect(actual1).toEqual({
+      state: {},
+      'state.subfield': {},
+      'city.street': {},
+      'city.street.subfield': {},
+    })
     const node2 = {
       exclude: ['city'],
       highlight: { highlightOtherMatches: false },