A word's meaning often becomes clear from the sentence around it. After a meeting that dragged on for hours, 'by the end, everyone was completely ___.' Which word fits?

"Exhausted" describes a state of extreme tiredness that goes beyond ordinary fatigue, fitting perfectly with the image of a meeting that dragged on for hours draining everyone's energy and patience. Context clues like "dragged on for hours" point toward physical or mental depletion rather than any positive emotion.

"Thrilled" describes excited delight, the opposite feeling from what a long, tedious meeting would produce, and "curious" implies interest in learning more, which doesn't match the fatigue described either.

Notice how English often signals meaning entirely through surrounding context rather than the word itself — swap "dragged on for hours" for "flew by," and suddenly "thrilled" would fit the same blank perfectly.