Meaning & use
exhausted
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Extremely tired, with no strength or energy left.
Grammar: Used after be or feel, or before a noun: exhausted runners.
Patterns
- be exhausted
- exhausted by something
- exhausted from something
We were exhausted after the long hike.
The exhausted nurse finally sat down.
He felt exhausted from lack of sleep.
adjectivebefore a noun
Completely used up, so that nothing remains.
Grammar: Describes supplies or resources: exhausted supplies.
Patterns
- exhausted supplies
The exhausted mine was closed.
Their food supplies were exhausted by the third week.
The company has exhausted its funds.
Word forms
| comparative | more exhausted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most exhausted |
Common combinations
- completely exhausted
- The marathon left her completely exhausted.
- physically exhausted
- He was physically exhausted after the shift.
- mentally exhausted
- She felt mentally exhausted by exams.
- exhausted from
- The children were exhausted from the trip.
- look exhausted
- You look exhausted; go and rest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tired
- The ordinary, mild word, while exhausted means being at the end of your energy.
- worn out
- A more casual phrase for deep fatigue, often after a lot of work.
- drained
- Stresses a loss of energy or emotion, as if emptied.
- spent
- A literary word for someone who has used all their strength.
Opposites
Word family
- exhaust verb
- to make extremely tired, or to use up completely
- exhaustion noun
- extreme tiredness
- exhausting adjective
- causing extreme tiredness
- exhaustive adjective
- covering everything thoroughly
Commonly confused: exhausted or exhaustive?
exhausted vs exhaustive
Exhausted describes a tired person or used-up supply, while exhaustive means complete and thorough, as in an exhaustive search.
Practice
After working three night shifts in a row, Dana was completely ____.
Choose one answer.
Exhausted describes how a person feels. Exhausting describes what causes the tiredness, and exhaustive means thorough.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exhausted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.