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 European governments believe all of these were acts of sabotage orchestrated by Russia, and this list is far from exhaustive. Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2024 Deep performs an exhaustive examination of every file and folder on a Mac and is best for when maximum security assurance is needed or if your Mac may have been compromised by a phishing attack. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 While this list is pretty exhaustive, these 100 deals are just the tip of the savings iceberg. Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2024 Simone de Beauvoir discusses this in her exhaustive study of growing old, The Coming of Age. Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for exhaustive 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhaustive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhaustive was circa 1789

Dictionary Entries Near exhaustive

Cite this Entry

“Exhaustive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaustive. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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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