Standard Lemma guide

exhaustive

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/
  • General-American: /ɪɡˈzɔstɪv/ without the cot–caught merger
  • Canada, US, cot-caught-merger: /ɪɡˈzɑstɪv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ɪɡˈzoːstɪv/
  • New-Zealand: /ɘɡˈzoːstɘv/
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 G Z AO1 S T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Including every possible element: fully comprehensive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We made an exhaustive list.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: all-encompassing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: thorough, comprehensive, across-the-board, all around, all-embracing, all-encompassing, blanket, broad, thick, exhaustive, overall, sound, sweeping

2

adj

Meaning 2

Causing exhaustion; very tiring.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tiring, weariful, draining, exhausting, exhaustive, fatiguing, grueling, tiresome, wearing, wearisome, weary

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

performed comprehensively and completely

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an exhaustive study
  • made a thorough search
  • thoroughgoing research

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thorough, thoroughgoing

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵh Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h1éǵhs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *h2ews- Proto-Indo-European *h2ews-ye-tider. Proto-Italic *auzjō Latin hauriō Latin exhauriō Latin exhaustus Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Medieval Latin exhaustīvusbor. English exhaustive Borrowed from Medieval Latin exhaustīvus. By surface analysis, exhaust + -ive.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حاصر — including every possible element
  • Armenian: սպառիչ (spaṙičʻ) — including every possible element
  • Bulgarian: изчерпателен (izčerpatelen) — including every possible element
  • Catalan: exhaustiu — including every possible element
  • Czech: vyčerpávající — including every possible element
  • Dutch: volledig — including every possible element
  • Esperanto: ĝisfunda — including every possible element
  • Finnish: tyhjentävä — including every possible element
  • French: exhaustif — including every possible element
  • Galician: exhaustivo — including every possible element
  • German: vollständig — including every possible element
  • German: erschöpfend — including every possible element
  • German: abschließend — including every possible element
  • Greek: εξαντλητικός (exantlitikós) — including every possible element
  • Hindi: संपूर्ण (sampūrṇ) — including every possible element
  • Hindi: विस्तृत (vistŕt) — including every possible element
  • Hindi: व्यापक (vyāpak) — including every possible element
  • Hungarian: kimerítő — including every possible element
  • Hungarian: teljes körű — including every possible element
  • Italian: esaustivo — including every possible element
  • Italian: esauriente — including every possible element
  • Occitan: exaustiu — including every possible element
  • Polish: wyczerpujący — including every possible element
  • Portuguese: exaustivo — including every possible element
  • Russian: исче́рпывающий (isčérpyvajuščij) — including every possible element
  • Serbo-Croatian: и̏сцрпан — including every possible element
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȉscrpan — including every possible element
  • Spanish: exhaustivo — including every possible element
  • Swedish: uttömmande — including every possible element
  • Turkish: kapsamlı — including every possible element
  • Turkish: şümullü — including every possible element
  • Ukrainian: виче́рпний (vyčérpnyj) — including every possible element
Real reading context

exhaustive in complete knowledge articles