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exhaustible

exhaustible

1 6.5
Able to be used up
  • adjective
  • /ɪɡˈzɔːstəbl/
translation icon : agotable
  • Because you have limited yourself to exhaustible fossil fuels, you find that none are renewable.
  • exhaustible resources

If you live in a, a country where that is water poor, then you're going to see this as an exhaustible resource that you're not going to be able to to replace.

Examples

  • As we continue to consume exhaustible resources at an alarming rate, future generations may face severe shortages.

  • In addition to a seasonal cycle, it is also reasonable to expect a secular upward trend in gas prices; as we discuss in the next section, gas is an exhaustible resource, which is both environmentally clean and inexpensive relative to alternative fossil fuels.

    Academic text (1991)
  • In fact, water for most practical purposes is finite and exhaustible.

    Blog text (5)
  • Technology can make up for any depleting resource; thus, exhaustible resources do not pose a fundamental problem.

    Academic text (2005)
  • This is due not only to reliance on an exhaustible resource, but also to some less apparent but generally non-viable costs.

    Academic text (1999)
  • One possible factor is that firms ignore the exhaustible nature of some primary fuels and, hence, the fact that the user cost of such fuels will rise over time.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The convention similarly recognizes that oceans are an "exhaustible and finite resource" that must be protected as a whole, rather than exclusively near coasts or within territorial waters.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Many countries are investing in renewable energy to reduce their reliance on exhaustible resources like coal and oil.

  • Experts warn that without sustainable practices, our exhaustible resources will soon be depleted beyond recovery.

Synonyms

limited
vsexhaustible
393 2.5

Available only in small amounts or to a few people

means a supply can be used up rather than only being small in amount
consumable
vsexhaustible
2 4.9

Can be used until it is finished

focuses on being usable up regardless of how it is used
depletable
vsexhaustible
1 7.2

Able to be used until it is gone

has identical meaning and the same idea of being used up

Antonyms

10 6.5

Too large for people to use up

How Exhaustible

limited
393 2.5
exhaustible
1 6.5
long-lasting
27 3.7
inexhaustible
10 6.5

Surface Forms

exhaustible positive
exhaustibler comparative
exhaustiblest superlative

Morphology

exhaustible = exhaust (transparent) = exhaust + ible

Formed regularly from the verb 'exhaust' with the adjectival suffix '-ible', so the meaning 'able to be used up' is directly predictable.

Etymology

Exhaustible comes from the word exhaust, which originally meant 'to draw out' or 'empty' and is made of parts ex- 'out' and haurire 'to draw'. So, something exhaustible is one you can 'empty' or 'use up' over time.