exhaustion

noun

ex·​haus·​tion ig-ˈzȯs-chən How to pronounce exhaustion (audio)
: the act or process of exhausting : the state of being exhausted

Examples of exhaustion in a Sentence

He worked to the point of complete exhaustion. the exhaustion of our natural resources
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With ubiquity came a degree of creative exhaustion. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 6 June 2025 Their temporary electronic face tattoo, or e-tattoo, can read brain waves and not only detect when the ol' gray matter is overworked, but also predict when exhaustion is approaching. Paul McClure 29, New Atlas, 29 May 2025 When every quarter brings a new mandate or system overhaul, exhaustion sets in. Bylee Cage Jr, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025 Yet their humor telegraphs exhaustion with a decade’s worth of millennial social-justice discourse that performatively polices language and identity in the face of ongoing global catastrophe. Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for exhaustion

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhaustion was in 1615

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exhaustion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaustion. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

exhaustion

noun
ex·​haus·​tion ig-ˈzȯs-chən How to pronounce exhaustion (audio)
1
: the act of exhausting
2
: the state of being exhausted

Medical Definition

exhaustion

noun
ex·​haus·​tion ig-ˈzȯs-chən How to pronounce exhaustion (audio)
1
: the act or process of exhausting : the state of being exhausted
suffered from physical and mental exhaustion
see heat exhaustion
2
: neurosis following overstrain or overexertion especially in military combat

Legal Definition

exhaustion

noun
ex·​haus·​tion
: the act or process of exhausting
even after the exhaustion of direct appellate reviewW. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
specifically : exhaustion of remedies

More from Merriam-Webster on exhaustion

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