English Meaning & Definitions
Astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality, scale, or beauty; extremely striking.
- “The hikers reached the summit and were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley below.”
- “The gymnast performed a breathtaking series of flips that left the crowd cheering.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “breathtaking”.
Derived from the noun 'breath' (Old English 'brǣð', meaning scent, vapor, or respiration) combined with 'taking' (from Old Norse 'taka', meaning to seize or capture). First appearing in the late 19th century, the literal sense of 'taking one's breath away' evolved metaphorically to describe experiences so intensely beautiful, shocking, or awe-inspiring that they temporarily leave a person gasping.
Imagine seeing something so gorgeous it makes you stop breathing for a second—it literally 'takes your breath' while you are 'taking' it in.
Frequently Asked Questions About “breathtaking”
1. What is the meaning of “breathtaking” in English?
In English, breathtaking (adjective) is defined as: “Astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality, scale, or beauty; extremely striking.”.
2. How do you use “breathtaking” in a sentence?
“The hikers reached the summit and were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley below.”
3. What are English synonyms of “breathtaking”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “breathtaking”?
Derived from the noun 'breath' (Old English 'brǣð', meaning scent, vapor, or respiration) combined with 'taking' (from Old Norse 'taka', meaning to seize or capture). First appearing in the late 19th century, the literal sense of 'taking one's breath away' evolved metaphorically to describe experiences so intensely beautiful, shocking, or awe-inspiring that they temporarily leave a person gasping.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.