breathless

[ breth-lis ]

/ ˈbrɛθ lɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR breathless ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

without breath or breathing with difficulty; gasping; panting: We were breathless after the steep climb.

with the breath held, as in suspense, astonishment, fear, or the like: breathless listeners of the mystery story.

causing loss of breath, as from excitement, anticipation, or tension: a breathless ride.

dead; lifeless.

motionless or still, as air without a breeze: a breathless summer day.

Nearby words

breathing, breathing bag, breathing reserve, breathing space, breathingly, breathless, breathlessly, breathtaking, breathtakingly, breathy, breccia

Origin of breathless

First recorded in 1350–1400, breathless is from the Middle English word brethles. See breath, -less

Related formsbreath·less·ly, adverbbreath·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for breathless

Suddenly, you are crying, breathless, raging, and on quieter days just going through the motions.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At his shows, I remember there being a hushed, breathless anticipation as we waited to see which song Smith would play next.
‘Heaven Adores You’ Is More Celebratory Than Salacious About Elliott Smith|Rachel Kramer Bussel|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The community in which you were raised does not gather around the television set every four years for a solid, breathless month.
Why Americans Should Love the World Cup|Sean Wilsey|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a breathless waiting period in which the infected were quarantined, none of the six fell ill.
Already Deadly in Africa, Could Ebola Hit America Next?|Scott Bixby|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is not apprehension, it is rather a breathless expectancy—of what, God knows!
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two argued from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon, a great crowd listening all the time with breathless interest.
William Penn|George Hodges
It was a breathless afternoon; beyond the city the blue hills seemed to float and quiver in mid-air.
Pharos, The Egyptian|Guy Newell Boothby
I discoursed (as I suppose) with a certain eloquence; my companion sat listening, breathless.
Four Meetings|Henry James
Sylvia turned to her father with breathless inquiry in her eyes.
For the Term of His Natural Life|Marcus Clarke
He started into a breathless run when Hannah's battle whoop reached him on the still air.
The Northern Iron|George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for breathless

breathless

/ (ˈbrɛθlɪs) /

adjective

out of breath; gasping, etc

holding one's breath or having it taken away by excitement, etca breathless confrontation

(esp of the atmosphere) motionless and stifling

rare lifeless; dead

Derived Formsbreathlessly, adverbbreathlessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for breathless

breathless

adj.

late 14c., "unable to breathe," from breath + -less. Meaning "out of breath, panting" is from mid-15c. Used from 1590s in the sense "dead." Meaning "forgetting to breathe due to excitement, awe, anticipation, etc." is recorded from 1802. Related: Breathlessly; breathlessness.

breathless

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of breathless

Examples from the Web for breathless

British Dictionary definitions for breathless

breathless

adjective

Word Origin and History for breathless

breathless