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.
The findings, published in the journal Radiology, suggest that this technique could provide another option for patients who have exhausted conventional treatments but cannot or do not want to undergo knee replacement surgery.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
Will your question invite helpful suggestions, or, unbeknownst to you, poke a bear who is exhausted by people making this same mistake over and over?
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
After a few jaw-clenching, squinty-eyed minutes—and after stuffing the CrossWave so hard it practically tore off my trunks—I eased off the throttle, exhausted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
As exhausted as Gibney may be with the subject, he can’t entirely rule out “Musk 2.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Even though he’s exhausted, he’ll snore, toss fitfully.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
