exhaustive

[ ig-zaws-tiv ]
See synonyms for: exhaustiveexhaustively on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. exhausting a subject, topic, etc.; comprehensive; thorough: He published an exhaustive study of Greek vases.

  2. tending to exhaust or drain, as resources or strength: a protracted, exhaustive siege of illness.

Origin of exhaustive

1
First recorded in 1780–90; exhaust + -ive

Other words from exhaustive

  • ex·haus·tive·ly, adverb
  • ex·haus·tive·ness, noun
  • non·ex·haus·tive, adjective
  • non·ex·haus·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·ex·haus·tive·ness, noun
  • un·ex·haus·tive, adjective
  • un·ex·haus·tive·ly, adverb

Words Nearby exhaustive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use exhaustive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for exhaustive

exhaustive

/ (ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv) /


adjective
  1. comprehensive in scope; thorough: an exhaustive survey

  2. tending to exhaust

Derived forms of exhaustive

  • exhaustively, adverb
  • exhaustiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012