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.
Thanks to his belief in Jackson and his exhaustive artistic rigor, the pair broke all sorts of records and set new templates for pop stardom. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024 The names that Team Harris presented to THR were not an exhaustive list, as other big names have spoken out on Zoom meet-ups and online to drum up support. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024 What followed was an exhaustive search for a new host that saw nearly two-dozen familiar faces try out for the gig — but in the end, Comedy Central went with… none of them. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 28 Oct. 2024 As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near exhaustive

Cite this Entry

“Exhaustive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaustive. Accessed 21 Nov. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!