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.
"Breathtaking" footage of what was believed to be a peregrine falcon attempting to hunt during a murmuration of thousands of starlings has been captured on video.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025
Breathtaking ombres of color ascend from the horizon, even outside its “golden hour” — the famously lambent period before sunset — even without the haze that amplifies these atmospheric special effects.
From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2024
Breathtaking advances in generative AI stunned the world last year, and the elite crowd is angling to take advantage of its promise and minimize its risks.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2024
Breathtaking views, the kind that command the attention of day hikers, bled together, but Potter and Parell still relished their surroundings.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2021
I’d been staring blankly at an article on the Ten Most Breathtaking Pools in Guam.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
