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.
Such a breathtaking breach of trust conducted over more than 12 years means a lengthy prison sentence looks inevitable, even if it is reduced because of his guilty plea.
From BBC • May 25, 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
“The breathtaking and disgraceful effort of Hill to undermine the jury process is unprecedented in South Carolina,” the five justices wrote in their unanimous opinion.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 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
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.
