diff --git a/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst b/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
index 285756149..2b2a5f3ac 100644
--- a/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
+++ b/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
@@ -341,7 +341,8 @@ There are also new config values that you can set:
    This value is a list of autodoc directive flags that should be automatically
    applied to all autodoc directives.  The supported flags are ``'members'``,
    ``'undoc-members'``, ``'private-members'``, ``'special-members'``,
-   ``'inherited-members'``, ``'show-inheritance'`` and ``'ignore-module-all'``.
+   ``'inherited-members'``, ``'show-inheritance'``, ``'ignore-module-all'``
+   and ``'exclude-members'``.
 
    If you set one of these flags in this config value, you can use a negated
    form, :samp:`'no-{flag}'`, in an autodoc directive, to disable it once.
@@ -361,6 +362,7 @@ There are also new config values that you can set:
         'member-order': 'bysource',
         'special-members': '__init__',
         'undoc-members': None,
+        'exclude-members': '__weakref__'
     }
 
     Setting ``None`` is equivalent to giving the option name in the list format
diff --git a/sphinx/ext/autodoc/directive.py b/sphinx/ext/autodoc/directive.py
index aabf6b47d..34f7567d4 100644
--- a/sphinx/ext/autodoc/directive.py
+++ b/sphinx/ext/autodoc/directive.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 # common option names for autodoc directives
 AUTODOC_DEFAULT_OPTIONS = ['members', 'undoc-members', 'inherited-members',
                            'show-inheritance', 'private-members', 'special-members',
-                           'ignore-module-all']
+                           'ignore-module-all', 'exclude-members']
 
 
 class DummyOptionSpec(object):
diff --git a/tests/test_autodoc.py b/tests/test_autodoc.py
index a559fb164..0cd543ad7 100644
--- a/tests/test_autodoc.py
+++ b/tests/test_autodoc.py
@@ -1484,6 +1484,32 @@ def test_autodoc_default_flags__with_flags(app):
         assert '   .. py:attribute:: CustomIter.__weakref__' in actual
         assert '      list of weak references to the object (if defined)' in actual
 
+    # :exclude-members: None - has no effect. Unlike :members:,
+    # :special-members:, etc. where None == "include all", here None means
+    # "no/false/off".
+    app.config.autodoc_default_flags = {
+        'members': None,
+        'exclude-members': None,
+    }
+    actual = do_autodoc(app, 'class', 'target.EnumCls')
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val1' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val4' not in actual
+    app.config.autodoc_default_flags = {
+        'members': None,
+        'special-members': None,
+        'exclude-members': None,
+    }
+    actual = do_autodoc(app, 'class', 'target.CustomIter')
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.__init__()' in actual
+    assert '      Create a new `CustomIter`.' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.__iter__()' in actual
+    assert '      Iterate squares of each value.' in actual
+    if not IS_PYPY:
+        assert '   .. py:attribute:: CustomIter.__weakref__' in actual
+        assert '      list of weak references to the object (if defined)' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.snafucate()' in actual
+    assert '      Makes this snafucated.' in actual
+
 
 @pytest.mark.sphinx('html', testroot='ext-autodoc')
 def test_autodoc_default_flags__with_values(app):
@@ -1509,3 +1535,29 @@ def test_autodoc_default_flags__with_values(app):
     if not IS_PYPY:
         assert '   .. py:attribute:: CustomIter.__weakref__' not in actual
         assert '      list of weak references to the object (if defined)' not in actual
+
+    # with :exclude-members:
+    app.config.autodoc_default_flags = {
+        'members': None,
+        'exclude-members': 'val1'
+    }
+    actual = do_autodoc(app, 'class', 'target.EnumCls')
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val1' not in actual
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val2' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val3' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:attribute:: EnumCls.val4' not in actual
+    app.config.autodoc_default_flags = {
+        'members': None,
+        'special-members': None,
+        'exclude-members': '__weakref__,snafucate',
+    }
+    actual = do_autodoc(app, 'class', 'target.CustomIter')
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.__init__()' in actual
+    assert '      Create a new `CustomIter`.' in actual
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.__iter__()' in actual
+    assert '      Iterate squares of each value.' in actual
+    if not IS_PYPY:
+        assert '   .. py:attribute:: CustomIter.__weakref__' not in actual
+        assert '      list of weak references to the object (if defined)' not in actual
+    assert '   .. py:method:: CustomIter.snafucate()' not in actual
+    assert '      Makes this snafucated.' not in actual