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 The group of firefighters were returning to the station after battling the exhaustive 23,000 Airport Fire during a 12-hour shift, when the truck unexpectedly overturned on an Irvine, California, freeway around 6:50 p.m. local time Thursday. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2024 The list is not necessarily exhaustive and is subject to change, meaning car owners should still use the organization's recall lookup tool to check on their specific vehicle. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 14 Sep. 2024 Coconut water also contains antioxidants, which may help neutralize compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during longer or exhaustive workouts. Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 3 Sep. 2024 As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 17 Sep. 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 5 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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