breathtaking en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/ (US)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From breath + taking.
Meanings
-
stunningly beautiful; amazing
He went to the Grand Canyon and spent a week taking in the breathtaking scenery all around him.
One day this old gentleman took me for a tour of the incomparable snowscapes in Chung Nan Hai Park.* Arrayed along the eastern shore of Chung Nan Lake stood a row of linked pavilions that seemed to be floating on the surface of the water. That day, strands of snowflakes sparkled like gems where they had collected between the humps of the enameled roof tiles. The breathtaking beauty of this vista made my soul turn somersaults.
2008 [1990], John Blofeld, “The Place I Love Most of All—Peking”, in Daniel Reid, transl., My Journey in Mystic China: Old Pu's Travel Diary, Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 65–66:
-
(broadly) Very surprising or shocking; to such a degree as to cause astonishment.
The network was established with breathtaking speed in the 1840s, when more than 250,000 navvies were furiously building our railways.
2019 December 18, Nigel Harris, “180 years of tragedy and progress”, in Rail, page 62:breathtaking stupidity or rudeness
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most breathtaking | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more breathtaking | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
breathtakingness · breathtakingly
Translations (40)
cs dechberoucí (stunningly beautiful) · fi henkeäsalpaava (very surprising or shocking) · cmn 嘆為觀止的 /叹为观止的 (stunningly beautiful) · ja 息をのむほど (stunningly beautiful) · sh koji uzima dah (stunningly beautiful) · cs úchvatný (stunningly beautiful) · es asombroso (stunningly beautiful) · tl makapigil-hininga (stunningly beautiful) · he עוצרת־נשימה (stunningly beautiful) · es fascinador (stunningly beautiful) · de atemberaubend (very surprising or shocking) · ru потряса́ющий (stunningly beautiful) · pt de tirar o fôlego (very surprising or shocking) · hu lélegzetelállító (very surprising or shocking) · scn accupativu (stunningly beautiful) · ru потряса́ющий (very surprising or shocking) · mk неверо́јатен (stunningly beautiful) · mk воодушеву́вачки (stunningly beautiful) · es emocionante (stunningly beautiful) · sv hisnande (very surprising or shocking) · nl adembenemend (stunningly beautiful) · pl zapierający dech w piersiach (stunningly beautiful) · fr époustouflant (stunningly beautiful) · ja 息をのむような (stunningly beautiful) · hu lélegzetelállító (stunningly beautiful) · pt de tirar o fôlego (stunningly beautiful) · fr époustouflant (very surprising or shocking) · es impresionante (stunningly beautiful) · ru захва́тывающий (stunningly beautiful) · es fascinante (stunningly beautiful) · tr nefes kesici (stunningly beautiful) · ru умопомрачи́тельный (very surprising or shocking) · de atemberaubend (stunningly beautiful) · fr à couper le souffle (stunningly beautiful) · it mozzafiato (stunningly beautiful) · mk во́збудлив (stunningly beautiful) · cmn 驚險 /惊险 (stunningly beautiful) · fi henkeäsalpaava (stunningly beautiful) · he עוצר־נשימה (stunningly beautiful) · fi sanoinkuvaamaton (very surprising or shocking)