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

The $10 per-vehicle day-use fee grants access to its breathtaking vistas, amazing hiking trails, and more. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026

Boston has learned how to turn petri dishes into IPOs with breathtaking speed. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026

In the video, user Jogatina uses a combination of skills to stab their way upwards, eventually piercing the cloud cover and revealing a breathtaking blanket of stars, complete with constellations and other galaxies. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026

Play up the elevation Think outside the box to take advantage of breathtaking views on your property. —Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 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