exhaustive

adjective

ex·​haus·​tive ig-ˈzȯ-stiv How to pronounce exhaustive (audio)
: including all possibilities : thorough
conducted an exhaustive search
exhaustively adverb
exhaustiveness noun
exhaustivity noun

Examples of exhaustive in a Sentence

The list was long but not exhaustive. after an exhaustive search of our house, we still hadn't found the cat
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For those with time and inclination, the New York Times did an exhaustive deep dive into court battle based on thousands of pages of court filings and hearing transcripts. Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 For an overview of the minor updates that have arrived periodically over the past year, check out this blog post or this exhaustive history of updates. Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025 And yet this exhaustive chronicle of movie madness also asks if a flop can sometimes be a good thing, proving that artistic freedom still exists in an industry that keeps trying to remove it from the formula. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 Mercedes-Benz has an exhaustive list of model names and trims, including two new 2025 hybrid sport utility vehicles at the extremes of the carmaker’s GLC lineup. James Raia, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exhaustive

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhaustive was circa 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Exhaustive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaustive. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

exhaustive

adjective
ex·​haus·​tive ig-ˈzȯ-stiv How to pronounce exhaustive (audio)
: trying all possibilities : thorough
an exhaustive search
exhaustively adverb
exhaustiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on exhaustive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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