breathtaking

[breth-tey-king]

adjective

1. thrillingly beautiful, remarkable, astonishing, exciting, or the like.

   a breathtaking performance.

breathtaking

/ ˈbrɛθˌteɪkɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing awe or excitement

   a breathtaking view

Other Word Forms

• breathtakingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of breathtaking¹

First recorded in 1875–80; breath + take + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Calling the president’s action a “breathtaking abuse of power,” Newsom said in a statement that 300 California National Guard personnel were being deployed to Portland, Ore., a city the president has called “war-ravaged.”

From Los Angeles Times

Quieter and more reserved than her sisters, her singing voice is no less breathtaking.

From BBC

The Fourth Reich-scale ambition of this apparent Trumpian agenda is genuinely breathtaking, and the long-term consequences of this dramatic reversal of America’s relationship to the rest of the world are scarcely imaginable.

From Salon

Part of the series’ breathtaking cinematic scope includes occasional jolts of action, and this long-foreshadowed death match lives up to the best of those scenes.

From Salon

The transformation Son has brought everywhere else since joining the team seven weeks ago has been breathtaking.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amazing 
• astonishing 
• exciting 
• hair-raising 
• heart-stopping www.thesaurus.com
• impressive 
• magnificent 
• stunning 
• thrilling