exhausting 1 of 2

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2

exhausting

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verb

present participle of exhaust

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of exhausting
Adjective
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 Roughly 30 minutes a day of brisk walking, light jogging, swimming or cycling supports the hormone’s natural rhythm when the effort feels energising rather than exhausting. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 There was a twisted irony in the internal confrontation required to make a record like that, mirroring the exhausting amount of time we were all made to spend with ourselves back then. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 There was always going to be some regression, but in this season of extremes, the whiplash is exhausting. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Anyone fighting a serious illness knows the battle can be exhausting and daunting. — Melissa May, CBS News, 16 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exhausting
Adjective
  • But passengers don’t have to be helpless during these stressful ordeals.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Speaking another language can be stressful, especially when people worry about making mistakes in front of someone else.
    — Antonio Perez-Nunez, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The New York Times‘ exhaustive list of the best TV shows of the 21st century traces its origin to a similar list of the best books a couple years ago.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Boutros has since announced an exhaustive review of previous grand jury matters and reforms in how the usually secret grand jury transcripts are shared with the court.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In the Los Angeles Times, Seema Mehta and Nicole Nixon report that Steyer’s ability to appear everywhere ended up tiring out voters.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 June 2026
  • Meanwhile, Shenzhen startup EngineAI can be forgiven for tiring out its PM01 humanoid.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • This severe segmentation can be emotionally draining and erodes commitment to the organization.
    — Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus, also known as contact tracing, has proved difficult in Congo.
    — CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • McKinsey’s data says some of those moves can be difficult for certain workers.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • What followed were Zoom-inclusive mediation meetings, the revelation of tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and something about clown school.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Case for All-inclusive Resorts For travelers who long to make fewer decisions, all-inclusives are a stress-free way to travel.
    — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • For a decade, hundreds of Black women and girls have gathered in Kansas City wearing curls, coils, locs, braids and Afros for an annual photograph intended to challenge narrow ideas about what beautiful hair is supposed to look like.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Dixie D’Amelio sauntered in wearing a shimmering black Gucci dress.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Researchers writing in Harvard Business Review found that employees switch between applications roughly 1,200 times per day, consuming nearly 9% of the workweek in reorientation and context switching alone.
    — Bryan Goode, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The filing alleges that Karla died on June 20 after consuming frozen GreenWise blueberries from Publix on May 21.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Exhausting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exhausting. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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