exhaustive
/ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ig-ˈzȯ-stiv/ (ame, mw)
exhaustive — adjective
- exhaustivepositive
- more exhaustivecomparative
- most exhaustivesuperlative
1. done or studied in such a complete way that every detail, case, or part has been
done or studied in such a complete way that every detail, case, or part has been looked at and nothing is missed or left out.
The police carried out an exhaustive search of the whole building but found no weapons.
collocation: exhaustive search
Leila's report on air pollution was so exhaustive that it covered every city in the region.
predicative use with so…that clause
An exhaustive list of all school library books was pinned to the notice board.
After three days of exhaustive testing, the car engineers finally found the engine fault.
The museum's collection of ancient pottery is exhaustive, with pieces from every century.
- thorough
emphasises careful attention to every step; more common and less formal than exhaustive
- comprehensive
focuses on broad coverage of a whole subject rather than every last detail
- complete
stresses that nothing is missing, but can be used more loosely
- all-inclusive
suggests every item or person is included, often used for packages or lists
- incomplete
opposite; some parts are missing or not covered
- partial
suggests only part of the whole is dealt with
- selective
implies a choice was made about what to include, rather than covering everything
用法筆記
Often used with nouns describing investigations or collections (search, list, study, review, test, collection). Compare with 'exhausting,' which means physically or mentally tiring rather than complete.