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

Examples of breathy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Throughout the past ten years, especially, that sound—breathy, close, a little woozy—has become synonymous with a certain artful, confessional, cool-girl aesthetic. Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 May 2026 Known for her breathy, sultry yet girlish vocal style, Longet achieved significant success on the record charts, beginning with her 1967 debut album, Claudine, and, to a lesser extent, the subsequent The Look of Love (1967) and Love Is Blue (1968). Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 May 2026 Her voice continues to echo in Norah Jones’s breathy understatement, Tracy Chapman’s acoustic urgency and the way Alicia Keys attaches grandeur to a single piano chord. New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Smerz, the Norwegian duo of Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt, are ready to unveil another batch of breathy pop songs. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for breathy

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of breathy was in 1849

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Cite this Entry

“Breathy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breathy. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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