breathless

adjective

breath·​less ˈbreth-ləs 

1

a

: not breathing

b

: dead

2

a

: panting or gasping for breath

b

: gripped with emotion

breathless in anticipation

c

: intense, gripping

breathless eagerness

breathless prose

d

: very rapid or strenuous

go at a breathless pace

e

: marked by intense or unremitting activity

a breathless schedule

3

: oppressive because of no fresh air or breeze

breathlessly adverb

breathlessness noun

Synonyms

• close
• suffocating
• stifling
• stuffy

Examples of breathless in a Sentence

They were breathless with anticipation.

I watched them in breathless wonder.

She describes the scene in breathless prose.

He drove at a breathless pace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Week 5 was another breathless run. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

The headline is that Europe pulled off a stunning victory on foreign soil, a win that was at times breathtaking and breathless, exhilarating and excruciating in equal measure. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025

Such breathless idealism sounds otherworldly today. —Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025

This is a story about two young people who find each other, fall madly in love, and are then torn apart by unimaginable disaster — one rendered by the obsessive director in minute, breathless, excruciating detail. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for breathless

• deathless

Kids Definition

breathless

adjective

breath·​less ˈbreth-ləs 

1

a

: not breathing

b

: dead entry 1 sense 1

2

a

: panting or gasping for breath

b

: breathtaking sense 1

3

: difficult to bear because of lack of fresh air or breeze

a hot breathless day

breathlessly adverb

breathlessness noun

Medical Definition

breathless

adjective

breath·​less ˈbreth-ləs 

1

: panting or gasping for breath

2

: suffering from dyspnea