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.
Even so, the rate of destruction remains breathtaking.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
The settlement agreement constituted a "breathtaking abuse of the tax and legal system," Brandon DeBot, policy director for the Tax Law Center at New York University, said in a statement.
From BBC • May 18, 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
Despite trading up to all-time highs this week and a market capitalization of $5.3 trillion, Nvidia’s breathtaking growth has been checked slightly by restrictions on the export of its advanced, artificial intelligence chips to China.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
"Now, is that breathtaking, or is that breathtaking?"
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
