breathless

adjective

1. 1

   Having difficulty breathing; gasping.

   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.

2. 2

   That makes one hold one's breath (with excitement etc.).

   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.

   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.

3. 3

   Not breathing; dead or apparently so.

4. 4

   Having no wind; still, calm or airless.

5. 5

   Having a somewhat hysterical tone, using over-emotive language.

   In breathless prose that risks making Dr Pachauri, who will be 70 this year, a laughing stock among the serious, high-minded scientists,

   The more some of us learn, the harder it gets to take each breathless headline seriously.

Forms

comparative

more breathless

superlative

most breathless