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
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.
That crime took place in 1998, showing the exhaustive appeals that often accompany death penalty cases. Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025 Foundations Over the course of a renowned 50-year career, evidenced by some 300 custom-house designs, the Los Angeles architect Richard Neutra evolved an exhaustive manner of interviewing clients, even by today’s standards. Richard Olsen, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 For an overview of the minor updates that have arrived periodically over the past year, check out this blog post or this exhaustive history of updates. Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025 And yet this exhaustive chronicle of movie madness also asks if a flop can sometimes be a good thing, proving that artistic freedom still exists in an industry that keeps trying to remove it from the formula. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 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 21 Sep. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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