HEART-STOPPING Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

heart-stopping

adjective

ˈhärt-ˌstä-piŋ

Definition of heart-stopping

as in breathtaking

causing great emotional or mental stimulation the movie's climax is a heart-stopping chase through the streets of San Francisco

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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 heart-stopping Uma Thurman’s career-making turn as Marsellus’ wife, Mia, is just one of many heart-stopping performances in a movie that is simultaneously ultraviolent and side-splittingly funny. — David Faris, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026 Then Nia fell in love, got dumped, had the cops called on her in a confrontation with her boyfriend—and produced her most heart-stopping work to date. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026 After more than a month of heart-stopping action, the FIFA men’s World Cup is finally approaching the finish line. — Bob Harkins, New York Times, 16 July 2026 The drama continued Saturday for Messi and Argentina, whose players collapsed to the turf at the end of another heart-stopping match. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for heart-stopping

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heart-stopping

Adjective

Desperate for a rebound after his worst finish of the Chase, the defending series champion expanded his points lead by a wide margin with a breathtaking rally from 11th to first on the final lap.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Words fail, however, when attempting to describe the breathtaking view.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of breathtaking

Adjective

Perhaps less exciting is the fact her failures are more than just the flawed Edison machine.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
The radio series takes in interviews with academic hormone specialists, including the team at Imperial College in London who are conducting some of the most exciting and innovative research in this area.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of exciting

Adjective

Both teams picked up pivotal wins last week, with the Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) upsetting rival Baylor 17-6, while the Mountaineers (4-3, 1-3) earned a thrilling, last-second 45-42 win over Cincinnati.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
What happened at State Farm Arena on Wednesday wasn’t merely a thrilling moment for Dream fans.

— Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of thrilling

Adjective

An interesting detail is that four ESSMs can fit into one compatible launch cell.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
That leaves an interesting question about how cities should handle future confrontations between pedestrians and commercial robots.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of interesting

Browse Nearby Words

heartsore

heart-stopping

heartstrings

See all Nearby Words

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“Heart-stopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heart-stopping. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heart-stopping

adjective

Example Sentences

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