Synonyms of exhausting

exhausting 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in stressful

Related Words

• stressful
• difficult
• oppressive
• burdensome
• arduous
• onerous
• challenging
• strenuous
• grueling
• labored
• laborious
• trying
• taxing
• backbreaking
• uphill
• bruising
• complex
• complicated
• formidable
• herculean
• toilsome
• sweaty
• demanding
• tough
• rigorous
• testing
• exacting
• tricky
• problematic
• severe
• effortful
• serious
• intricate
• tight
• killer
• murderous
• tall
• elusive
• troublesome
• stubborn
• annoying
• hard
• abstract
• irksome
• involved
• abstruse
• heavy
• thorny
• vexatious
• hellacious
• recondite
• insoluble
• bothersome
• distressing
• knotty
• ticklish
• opaque
• pick-and-shovel
• rugged
• stiff
• rough
• painful
• hairy
• moiling
• Augean
• spiny
• stringent
• brutal
• grim
• cruel
• strict
• grievous
• inhuman

Dissimilar Words

• manageable
• clear
• elementary
• achievable
• uncomplicated
• smooth
• gentle
• comforting
• doable
• soothing
• easy
• painless
• relaxed
• simple
• light
• cheap
• soft
• mindless
• effortless
• facile
• undemanding

2

as in exhaustive

Related Words

• exhaustive
• inclusive
• copious
• comprehensive
• abundant
• encyclopedic
• thoroughgoing
• panoramic
• accurate
• entire
• omnibus
• specific
• correct
• in-depth
• precise
• exact
• complete
• inclusionary
• specified
• replete
• explicit
• itemized
• elaborate
• detailed
• thorough
• enumerated
• particular
• distinct
• delineated
• circumstantial
• picturesque
• full
• listed
• vivid
• descriptive
• particularized
• minute
• blow-by-blow
• graphic
• inventoried
• numerated
• mapped (out)
• sharp

Dissimilar Words

• summary
• short
• brief
• compendious
• concise
• succinct
• compact
• pithy
• curtailed
• terse
• crisp
• ambiguous
• abbreviated
• cut
• shortened
• abridged
• vague
• trimmed
• sketchy
• nebulous
• indeterminate
• general
• pruned
• broad
• nondescript
• nonspecific
• overall
• unspecified
• bird's-eye

exhausting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of exhaust

1

as in tiring

to use up all the physical energy of

the long day at the county fair had exhausted everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tiring
• wearing
• killing
• draining
• wearying
• busting
• fatiguing
• harassing
• wasting
• burning out
• knocking out
• wearing out
• breaking
• frazzling
• fagging
• washing out
• doing in
• doing up
• enervating
• debilitating
• weakening
• outwearing
• sapping
• tuckering (out)
• wearing to a frazzle
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• energizing
• invigorating
• strengthening
• activating
• resting
• relaxing
• rejuvenating
• vitalizing
• unwinding

2

as in draining

to make complete use of

we had been at the theme park barely for two hours, and we were on the verge of exhausting our spending money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• draining
• consuming
• spending
• absorbing
• depleting
• reducing
• burning
• expending
• eating
• using
• emptying
• devouring
• drawing down
• playing out
• running out of
• decreasing
• wasting
• using up
• diminishing
• downsizing
• debilitating
• lowering
• weakening
• dwindling
• sapping
• undermining
• impoverishing
• crippling
• lessening
• bankrupting
• enfeebling
• cleaning (out)
• disabling
• blowing
• de-escalating
• abating
• drying up
• dissipating
• squandering
• lavishing
• guzzling
• running through
• frittering (away)
• throwing away
• misspending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increasing
• replacing
• renewing
• enlarging
• reinforcing
• enforcing
• strengthening
• augmenting
• rebuilding
• repairing
• restoring
• preserving
• saving
• reviving
• bolstering
• conserving
• fortifying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exhausting

Adjective

Consequently, the action is more exhausting than invigorating, even when the physical challenge offers the possibility of something cool or inventive. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Amid the constant and surely exhausting attention paid to his personal life over the years, the man has carved out an impressive career. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Other common complaints include staff shortages and exhausting workloads. — Nicolas Garriga, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Someone can value their work while finding its demands exhausting. — Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026

Below, members of Forbes Business Council share ways leaders can determine whether AI is genuinely improving productivity or simply contributing to a more exhausting workweek. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

This all sounds exhausting, but most inhabitants love it, Specht notes, especially compared with the chaos of nearby Miami. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Every episode was like a slightly different stage of grief, and so to stay in that for months at a time was exhausting. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

The result is a boisterous, exhausting drama that struggles to balance trauma, satire and the painful legacy of Black sitcom fame. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Verb

The gentle squeeze around your legs provides other surprising health benefits on exhausting travel days. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026

Commanders should seek positional advantages without exhausting their soldiers, manipulate the enemy’s movements when possible, and recognize when circumstances make pursuit or attack unwise. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

The dispute has become even more complicated because some members of the 2022 class pursued professional opportunities after exhausting their eligibility under the previous system. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Pick up a gentler, over-the-counter retinoid that won’t irritate your more sensitive skin, and will stimulate collagen production without exhausting your cells. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 1 Sep. 2026

The attack Friday night was the deadliest this year in the war and came as Russia steps up the frequency of major attacks on its neighbor in the hopes of exhausting Ukraine’s defenses. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

The everyday cost of war Six months of conflict and severe economic hardship have made daily life exhausting for regular Iranians. — Greg Myre, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Here in Iceland, the debate circles around fishing rights and Brussels’ often exhausting regulations. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026

For Cameron, who spent decades exhausting HIV treatment options as his virus developed resistance, among the biggest benefits may be that the two-drug regimen effectively controls his virus while exposing him to fewer medications. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026