breathtaking
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of breathtaking
Explanation
When something is breathtaking, it astonishes or amazes you. A breathtaking work of art can leave you speechless and deeply moved. The adjective breathtaking comes from the earlier phrase "take one's breath away," meaning "leave one breathless with amazement and delight." Anything that produces that feeling in you can be described as breathtaking. You might be astonished at the breathtaking view from the top of a mountain, or moved to tears by a breathtaking film. Beautiful things are often breathtaking.
Vocabulary lists containing breathtaking
Call of Beauty: Synonyms for "Beautiful"
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Wow! Synonyms for "Amazing"
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Amazing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But while “Everest: The Other Side” includes countless breathtaking sequences of Earth’s tallest mountain and plenty of nail-biting anxiety in the eventual summit push and ski attempt, those moments are merely the film’s selling points.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
In one scene, the confluence is literally breathtaking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Speaking of the weather conditions while filming, Brydon said "it wasn't that cold, apart from when we went into the Arctic Circle", adding that the scenes were "so breathtaking that you didn't mind the cold".
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
“Fjord” is breathtaking cinema in more ways than one, both urgent filmmaking and a profound comment on our times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
It is so breathtaking I wish I could stop time and exist in this dreamland forever.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
