exhaustive

adjective

ex·​haus·​tive ig-ˈzȯ-stiv How to pronounce exhaustive (audio)
Synonyms of exhaustivenext
: 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
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.
Just how much, of course, is an open question, rooted in research of the past and exhaustive study of the implications but entirely dependent now on the fickle ways of day-to-day baseball. Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 The capsule landed safely, but NASA kicked off an exhaustive investigation to determine why the heat shield failed to behave as computer models suggested. William Harwood, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026 Now, after more than 60 years of being the pride and joy of collectors around the world, and just out of an exhaustive six-year restoration by Andy Prill, a renowned classic-Porsche specialist in England, this 550A is heading to auction. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2026 Great Day Tar Heel posted an exhaustive list of all the star-level players to pass through Duke on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote that Duke has not appeared in or won the national title since the 2015-16 season, despite those players. Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exhaustive

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhaustive was circa 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Exhaustive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaustive. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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

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