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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Unit 6, Week 1
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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.
Proponents say the commission is all that keeps California’s breathtaking coastline open to the public.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
Ukraine's delicate ballad Ridnym includes a breathtaking 30-second-long high note; while Serbian band Lavina unleash a blood-curdling scream at the end of their metalcore ballad, Kraj Mene.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
There, a breathtaking view and unique fractured “pavement” has been used in countless films, including “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and the 1992 “Wuthering Heights.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
Before her faceoff with Trump, Kelly was known as one of the saner, smarter voices at Fox News—a notable if not breathtaking accomplishment.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
Tawantinsuyu is known to have risen and fallen with breathtaking rapidity, but the exact chronology of its trajectory is disputed.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions 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.
