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 of breathtaking

• exciting
• thrilling
• interesting
• intriguing
• inspiring

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

Nattiv skilfully braids together the key events that lead to Rita’s breakdown, with a breathtaking sense of tension across the flashbacks. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Acted with breathtaking ensemble naturalness, the play seems lived in rather than performed. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

The resulting tension — and some breathtaking moments — cement this movie's spot on our list. — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Diana’s Point is a platform where Diana, Princess of Wales, once stood back in 1986 and has a breathtaking canyon view of the fabled Green Mountain. — Jasreen Mayal Khanna, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for breathtaking

• awaking
• backbreaking
• bookmaking
• brickmaking
• caretaking
• dressmaking
• filmmaking
• forsaking
• glassmaking
• groundbreaking
• haymaking
• heartbreaking

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