breathtaking
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- breathtakingly adverb
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.
What it can do is breathtaking, but what it can destroy is equally extraordinary.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Bath came from 21 points down to beat Prem leaders Northampton and reach the semi-finals of the Champions Cup in a breathtaking clash at the Rec.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Two scrolls from the Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead,’ one newly restored, form the breathtaking centerpiece of a show that reveals the considerable art involved in the ancient civilization’s burial rites.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
They bought a house in El Valle de Anton, a beautiful town known for exotic wildlife, breathtaking treks, and fresh mountain air.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Chroma nodded a fond good-by as they all started back through the forest, and in honor of the visit he made all the wild flowers bloom in a breathtaking display.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
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.
