breathier; breathiest
: characterized or accompanied by or as if by the audible passage of breath
breathily adverb
breathiness noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web But long on martyrdom, delusions of grandeur and self-serving spin, spoken in breathy tones fit for the funeral that is De León’s political career. Erika D. Smithcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2022 Macca takes a solo guitar stroll through his love-never-dies valentine, without the others’ breathy harmonies. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2022 An official trailer for the film premiered online July 28 and left many viewers outraged over de Armas’ casting because her accent did not entirely match Monroe’s iconic breathy tone. Zack Sharf, Variety, 1 Aug. 2022 Their BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance in May 2017 begins with just Goulding’s recognizable breathy tone, with Kygo on piano. Danielle Pascual, Billboard, 21 Jan. 2022 The Martini & Rossi voice was real, a kind of breathy huskiness with a little hesitation behind it. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2023 The movie proceeds in large, breathy movements, with expansive set pieces urging us forward and a morass of big human emotions keeping it afloat amid all the detours and details. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2022 Nevena learns by shapeshifting: entering the bodies of people and animals, and, in breathy voiceover, shares her insights and reactions. Time, 13 Oct. 2022 The movie proceeds in large, breathy movements, with expansive set pieces urging us forward and a morass of big human emotions keeping it afloat amid all the detours and details. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breathy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of breathy was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near breathy

Cite this Entry

“Breathy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breathy. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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