breathtaking

adjective

breath·​tak·​ing ˈbreth-ˌtā-kiŋ 

1

: causing one to breathe rapidly or with difficulty : making one out of breath

a breathtaking pain in her side

2

a

: exciting, thrilling

a breathtaking race

b

: very great : astonishing

his breathtaking ignorance

breathtakingly

ˈbreth-ˌtā-kiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• charged
• electric
• electrifying
• exciting
• exhilarating
• exhilarative
• galvanic
• galvanizing
• hair-raising
• heart-stopping
• inspiring
• intoxicating
• kicky
• mind-bending
• mind-blowing
• mind-boggling
• rip-roaring
• rousing
• stimulating
• stirring
• thrilling

Examples of breathtaking in a Sentence

The train raced past with breathtaking speed.

They gave a breathtaking performance.

The view of the mountains was breathtaking.

a scene of breathtaking beauty

The scope of the error is breathtaking.

Recent Examples on the Web

Somehow the site’s breathtaking antiquity had, all this time, succeeded in blinding me to its host country’s youth, its essential fragility. —Youmna Melhem Chamieh, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

Luckily, history has shown us that under immense pressure can come breathtaking diamonds. —Gilda D'incerti, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025

Herbert was able to carry the offense and the team as a whole to a win with some breathtaking playmaking. —Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

To be sure, there are some doubters even after Palantir’s breathtaking run. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

breathtaking

adjective

breath·​tak·​ing ˈbreth-ˌtā-kiŋ 

1

: making one out of breath

breathtaking speed

2

: exciting, thrilling

breathtaking beauty

breathtakingly

-kiŋ-lē 

adverb