breathless

breathless Definition

breath·less (bret̸h′lis)

adjective

without breath
Old Poet. no longer breathing; dead
out of breath; panting or gasping
unable to breathe easily because of excitement, fear, etc.
of or characteristic of writing having a light, superficial, or dramatic, fast-paced style intended to excite the interest of the reader
still and heavy, as the air; stifling

breathless Related Forms

breath′·lessly adverb breath′·less·ness noun

breathless Synonyms

modif.

out of breath, winded, gasping, panting, spent, exhausted, used up, choking, short of breath, windless, wheezing, blown, short-winded, asthmatic, emphysematous, puffing, broken-winded; see also enthusiastic 1, excited, tired.

Antonyms fresh*, breathing freely, long-winded.

breathless Usage Examples

Preposition: on

Adjective complement with noun phrase

Modifies a noun

hush: And -- breathless hush and all that -- James Utechin fought out the final over.
anticipation: I enlisted the services of a Doula and started with breathless anticipation to plan my home birth.
excitement: The rhythm for " Amen " creates a sense of breathless excitement.
prose: Reading the hype I smile and wonder how much of the breathless prose is a real representation of the original review?
silence: The highly successful pageant ends with " a breathless silence in the hall " .
pace: Talbott shows an impressive grasp of the breathless pace of change in our society that computers have wrought.

Modifying Another Word

slightly: Feeling slightly breathless at my exertion, I find myself in a carriage with several people wearing London Marathon medals around their necks.
somewhat: However, for the last seventy or eighty yards, a somewhat breathless charge with fixed bayonets was organized.
almost: In contrast " One Of These Days " is a slow almost breathless song telling of desperate longing for better times.
rather: Thursday 19th August 10.00 BST - This morning's report from a rather breathless Will Travers.
quite: The last pas de deux will leave the viewer quite breathless!
little: Stan has to subdue Reb, which leaves him a little breathless.

Used with adjective complement

feel: Feeling slightly breathless at my exertion, I find myself in a carriage with several people wearing London Marathon medals around their necks.
become: For example, asthma sufferers can become breathless carrying heavy things or climbing stairs.
leave: Through your eyes and emotion you will be left breathless every time you watch your Grand Cinema RTX.
get: The attached pic shows Malcolm Moss getting breathless for a good cause.
sit: For a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to believe my ears.

Preposition: with

breathless Quotes

Breathless and bewildered like an old ladyat a busy intersection.

—Acheson, Dean Gooderham

Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill. Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.

—Brooke, Rupert Chawner

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