exhausted
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See tired 1.
Etymology
Origin of exhausted
First recorded in 1660–70; exhaust ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Up too late studying? Want nothing more than to get a little bit of sleep? Sounds like you're exhausted — all of your energy has been used up. Exhausted is spent, drained, and depleted. Though you might associate the word exhausted with people, it's a word that can be used to talk about anything that's depleted. You might want to continue traveling around Europe, but if your funds are exhausted, it's time to go home. If you're trying to get in touch with the airline so you can make a reservation for your homeward-bound trip, your patience may become exhausted after being placed on hold for hours.
Vocabulary lists containing exhausted
Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Messenger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Maybe with “Cars” safely in the rearview mirror, and me having just exhausted my one bad pun per story with this sentence, Pixar can return to consistent greatness.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
You can give it a shot, of course, but when you have exhausted the last option, you have a choice to make.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
The rescue team, which included Nigerien troops, distributed water to the "exhausted and distressed travellers" and helped repair the vehicle, allowing them to safely resume their journey.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
It’s a question to which the film merely poses an alternative: If current policies continue, the exhausted Earth will gradually yield less and less and a food shortage will result anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
“O how I hate her!” wrote an exhausted Kate.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
