exhaustible
Able to deplete
Exhaustible describes something that can be used up or depleted.
Natural resources like oil and coal are exhaustible—once consumed, they're gone.
The term appears most often in economics and environmental discussions contrasting exhaustible resources with renewable ones: Exhaustible fuel supplies drove the search for alternatives.
The opposite is inexhaustible.
Restricted in extent
- depletableAble to be consumed
- finiteHaving definite bounds
- boundedConfined within limits
- nonrenewableCannot be replaced naturally
consumable · diminishable · scarce · measurable · countable · constrained · restricted · quantifiable
Combustible prehistoric organic deposits
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- petroleumNatural underground hydrocarbon liquid
- natural gasSubterranean hydrocarbon fuel
- mineralsInorganic natural solids
groundwater · aquifers · reserves · stockpiles · topsoil · phosphorus · helium · uranium
limited
Restricted in extent
- depletableAble to be consumed
- finiteHaving definite bounds
- boundedConfined within limits
nonrenewable · consumable · diminishable · scarce · measurable · countable · constrained · restricted · quantifiable · numbered
fossil fuels
Combustible prehistoric organic deposits
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- petroleumNatural underground hydrocarbon liquid
- natural gasSubterranean hydrocarbon fuel
minerals · groundwater · aquifers · reserves · stockpiles · topsoil · phosphorus · helium · uranium
exhaustiblerenewable
Capable of restoration
inexhaustible · replenishable · unexhaustible · sustainable · regenerative