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

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

In typical Greengrassian fashion, The Uprising proves intense from first minute to last, the director utilizing his familiar handheld camera and frenetic editing style to an at times exhausting degree. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Suppressing tics as treatment Suppressing tics can be distracting and exhausting, yet decades of research has shown that tic suppression can be strengthened and used therapeutically. — Michael Okun, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

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

After exhausting federal aid, grants, and scholarships, private student loans can help cover any remaining funding gaps. — Amy Deyoung, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026