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

• 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 price is breathtaking, but so are our testers’ ridiculously smooth and bouncy complexions after making this a regular step in their routine. —Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

To behold the growth of the country after 1865 especially is breathtaking. —Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

This breathtaking image from James Sinclair gives us a detailed view of a section of the sun's atmosphere known as the chromosphere — a chaotic region where hydrogen and helium plasma is molded and reshaped by our star's ever-shifting magnetic field. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025

The most breathtaking sight might be the blue and pink fish at Blue MaoMao Arch schooling, alongside clouds of kingfish, snapper, and other species. —Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 11 Sep. 2025

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