breathless

adjective

ˈbreth-ləs How to pronounce breathless (audio)
Definition of breathlessnext
1
as in close
lacking fresh air the room was hot and breathless

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed ran at a breathless pace to get help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fallen
no longer living carried the breathless body of his beloved dog back home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breathless Suspended against the luminous moon, the eagle becomes a timeless presence in the cold, breathless vastness of the alpine night. — New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026 The movie, examining the rise of Sam Altman (played by Andrew Garfield) and OpenAI, was dropped by Amazon MGM earlier this year, leading to a scramble for a new buyer before Neon stepped in — and breathless speculation about the movie’s contents. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026 The press is breathless at the moment with predictions that if the conflict in Iran is not resolved before November’s midterms, Americans will turn on Republicans, ensuring Democrats seize control of both the House and the Senate. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 10 Sep. 2026 The award nominations and the breathless reviews are coming in hot with this one; so too the contrarian backlash. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for breathless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breathless
  1. close
  2. rapid
  3. fallen
  4. suffocating
  5. brisk
  6. dead
  7. stifling
  8. quick
Adjective
  • With six couples, having two separate houses gave us space to spread out while keeping everyone close enough to gather for dinner, drinks, and games.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
  • These regions could warrant closer investigation, but the assessment does not establish that any is suitable for a future greenhouse.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of close
Adjective
  • This is the experience of some students in the state and it is being further complicated by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, rising college costs and limited exposure to jobs before graduation.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Their operational training regularly includes rapid rope insertions from heights of 100 feet or more.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Brown and her relatives say the fallen officer tragedy has reignited their trauma and desperation for justice.
    — Liz Crawford, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Florida deaths involved a fallen tree and a man found in a closed garage with a running generator.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of fallen
Adjective
  • Scientists suspect that the combination of high heat and a suffocating deep-tropical air mass will be considered the worst humidity the region has experienced in the modern era.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Eilish will play Greenwood, the brilliant young woman at the center of Plath’s semi-autobiographical story, which follows her descent into mental illness amid the suffocating expectations placed on women in 1950s America.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffocating
Adjective
  • Though the Scandi brand was selling at a brisk pace to her online customers, Stover knew the economics weren’t going to work for the long term if every reorder was saddled with that kind of extra cost.
    — Jessica Binns, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The final product is a rousing, brisk, and genuinely inspiring biopic that never feels like homework.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • Two men were found dead inside a Long Beach home after one of them exchanged shots with police and sparked a standoff with SWAT officers in a residential neighborhood early Saturday morning, police said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The film follows a Polish burglar who assumes the identity of a dead stranger’s girlfriend, with unexpected results.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of dead
Adjective
  • For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of stifling
Adjective
  • If your team is any version of a Power Five power player, the playoff conversation gets real anticlimactic real quick.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • People in the comments were quick to offer the officer a lot of praise and other reactions.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of quick

Browse Nearby Words

breathing (out)
breathless
breaths
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breathless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breathless. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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