breathy

adjective

ˈbre-thē 

breathier; breathiest

: characterized or accompanied by or as if by the audible passage of breath

breathily

ˈbre-thə-lē 

adverb

breathiness

ˈbre-thē-nəs 

noun

Examples of breathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But to get ahead in 1950s Hollywood, Mansfield adopted an extreme version of Marilyn Monroe’s breathy voice. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

One of the joys of Air, down to the breathy purity of its title, is its contempt for design—an easy target, but one for which Kracht has sharpened his blade. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Over the years, Saturday Night Live has seen several stars put on the bottle blonde wig and emulate Monroe's breathy voice. — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Her work as a painter involved performing the artist’s version of copywork and painting Joseph Mallord William Turner’s ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ again and again, learning its breathy use of colors and movement. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above