breathlessly

IPA/ˈbreθləsli/
KK[brˈɛθləsli]IPA/ˈbreθləsli/

breathlessly — adverb

1. in a manner that involves breathing with difficulty, especially after fast movem

1.adverbB2
Definition

in a manner that involves breathing with difficulty, especially after fast movement, hard physical effort, or a sudden shock that affects your breathing.

Example

After running up three flights of stairs, Saira arrived breathlessly at the meeting room.

breathlessly + arrived after physical exertion

Caio breathlessly described the car accident he had just witnessed on the highway.

Common collocations
  • arrive breathlessly
  • stand breathlessly
  • push breathlessly
  • answer breathlessly
  • speak breathlessly
Synonyms
  • pantingly

    more specific — focuses on quick, short breaths rather than general difficulty

  • gasping

    suggests sudden, sharp intakes of breath, often from shock or pain

  • wheezingly

    implies a whistling or rattling sound in breathing, usually medical

Antonyms
  • calmly

    no sign of physical strain or shortness of breath

  • easily

    without any breathing difficulty

Grammar Patterns

breathlessly + verb (movement or speech)

Usage Note

Often appears with verbs of movement (run, climb, arrive, push) or speech (say, describe, tell, answer) to show that the action is accompanied by laboured breathing from physical effort.

Common Mistakes

He spoke breathlessly, without taking a single breath.
He spoke breathlessly, pausing between each sentence to catch his breath.
breathlessly does NOT mean 'without breathing'; it means breathing with difficulty.
She breathlessly held her breath underwater.
She held her breath underwater.
breathlessly is about laboured breathing, not holding your breath.

2. in a manner that reveals intense eagerness, nervous energy, or emotional anticip

2.adverbB2
Definition

in a manner that reveals intense eagerness, nervous energy, or emotional anticipation about something that is happening or about to happen.

Example

Christopher breathlessly told his family the news that he had won the scholarship.

breathlessly + told (emotional speech)

The journalist breathlessly reported the election results as they came in late that night.

Common collocations
  • tell breathlessly
  • report breathlessly
  • wait breathlessly for
  • explain breathlessly
  • listen breathlessly
Synonyms
  • excitedly

    more general — suggests happiness and enthusiasm without the physical sense of breathlessness

  • eagerly

    emphasises a keen desire or willingness for something specific to happen

  • anxiously

    adds worry or nervousness — the emotion is not purely positive

  • passionately

    conveys deep personal commitment or intensity, often romantic or ideological

Antonyms
  • calmly

    without emotional intensity or rush

  • coolly

    suggests deliberate emotional distance or lack of excitement

  • unemotionally

    showing no strong feeling at all

Grammar Patterns

breathlessly + verb (speech or emotional waiting)

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense does not imply actual difficulty breathing — the breathlessness is metaphorical, suggesting that emotion is so strong it feels as though one's breath is taken away. Common with verbs of telling news, waiting for results, and emotional reactions.

Common Mistakes

They waited breathlessly for the bus, hoping it would come soon.
They waited breathlessly for the award ceremony to begin.
this sense works best when the outcome matters emotionally; routine waiting sounds odd.
She breathlessly complained about the slow service.
She breathlessly shared the exciting news about her promotion.
the emotion in this sense should be eager or excited, not annoyed or bored.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

Breathlessly, excitedly, eagerly, anxiously, and passionately all describe acting with strong feeling, but each emphasises a different emotion. Breathlessly suggests the feeling is so powerful that it almost takes your breath away — your words come out fast because you can barely contain the emotion. Excitedly is the broadest of the group, covering any happy or enthusiastic reaction without the physical metaphor. Eagerly focuses on a forward-looking desire for a specific outcome, as in 'the children eagerly opened their presents'. Anxiously adds nervous worry, making it suitable for situations with an uncertain result ('she anxiously checked her phone for news'). Passionately conveys deep commitment or romantic intensity — someone might passionately argue for a cause or passionately declare their love. Choose breathlessly when the speaker's emotion feels urgent and barely contained.

excitedly ↗eagerly ↗anxiously ↗passionately ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • breathlessly + verb of speech (tell, announce, report, explain, describe)
  • breathlessly + verb of movement (arrive, run, climb, push, rush)
  • breathlessly + verb of waiting (wait, listen, watch)

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'breathless' (a combination of Old English 'bræþ' meaning 'odor, exhalation' plus the suffix '-less' meaning 'without') and the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The literal meaning 'without breath' shifted by the 1500s to mean 'out of breath from exertion', and by the 1800s the figurative sense 'with intense emotion, as if breathless with excitement' became established in literary English.