exhausting

American  

[ig-zaw-sting] / ɪgˈzɔ stɪŋ /

adjective

1. producing or tending to produce fatigue, weariness, or the like.

   an exhausting day; an exhausting child.

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Other Word Forms

• exhaustingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of exhausting

First recorded in 1530–40; exhaust + -ing ²

Example Sentences

"The purchases were undertaken strictly out of extreme necessity as an extraordinary emergency measure in response to unprecedented geopolitical and supply-chain disruptions and only after exhausting all commercially and operationally viable alternatives," the report reads.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Many insurers now require precertification, which makes ordering an exercise echocardiogram an exhausting and time-consuming exercise.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

The bots possess an exhausting reflex to present both sides of every issue, creating a false, artificial balance even when the counterargument is absurd.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

"It was exhausting for us, so I dread to think how poor Marigold felt."

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

It’s an old Katy Perry song that’s peppy in an exhausting way.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• debilitating
• draining
• taxing
• tiresome