Breathless Meaning
/ˈbɹɛθləs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHaving difficulty breathing; gasping.
adjThat makes one hold one's breath (with excitement etc.).
Sentence Examples
I ran for the bus and was already breathless.
He was watching the scene with breathless interest.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After sprinting a full mile, she was completely ____ and exhausted.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was completely ____ after running up the five flights of stairs.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English breath Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English breathless From breath + -less.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In thoughtless and breathless fear I rushed forward to avoid this host of demons, but while flying thus still more frightful and distorted shapes appeared, and I fancied I felt their hands clutching me."
— 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 281:
"By that stage Sevilla were down to 10 men and Jorge Sampaoli, their manager, had been sent to the stands as a breathless encounter started to spiral out of control."
— 2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian:
"The plane buzzed on at a breathless speed. Bob had been in a plane before, and he had no fear. Indeed, but for the strange circumstances, he would have enjoyed that breathless rush through space."
— 1934, Frank Richards, The Magnet: The Mystery of the Vaults:
"In breathless prose that risks making Dr Pachauri, who will be 70 this year, a laughing stock among the serious, high-minded scientists,"
— 2010 January 30, Robert Mendick, Amrit Dhillon, “Revealed: the racy novel written by the worlds most powerful climate scientist”, in Daily Telegraph:
"The more some of us learn, the harder it gets to take each breathless headline seriously."
— 2018 May 21, T.A. Frank, “Has The Don Jr. bombshell blown up the Trump-Russia case?”, in Vanity Fair:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After sprinting a full mile, she was completely ____ and exhausted.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was completely ____ after running up the five flights of stairs.