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 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that the investigation was the most exhaustive and expensive in the agency's history. CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 The Day Before the Exam Resist the urge to engage in exhaustive last-minute studying. Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024 After all, the flat-six’s symphony should take priority here. Akin to Apple products under Steve Jobs, where internal componentry never seen by consumers was treated with exhaustive attention, Singer’s white-glove approach is intended to redefine 911 restorations. Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2024 Here is the full exhaustive legal document of the award. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 After an exhaustive process of elimination, scientists singled out a sizable layer of electrically conductive fluid—that is, a salty liquid-water ocean—as the signal’s only plausible explanation. Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Feb. 2024 Only after completing an exhaustive syllabus of financial literacy courses and securing pre-approval from a lender can the applicant begin looking for homes. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024 After exhaustive research into Osage history and society — and working with Osage consultants in Fairfax and Pawhuska, Oklahoma, where the events of the film actually took place — Fisk set out to bring the past into the present. Tyler Coates, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024 Homing the most exhaustive collection of Virgina Woolf’s books and ephemera will make a literary destination out of this sleepy area of East Sussex for the growing legions of Bloomsbury Group fans. Grace Banks, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024

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 18 Mar. 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

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