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

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

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Nearby words

Origin of breathless

Examples from the Web for breathless

breathless

adjective

breathless