breathlessness

Noun

breathlessness (usually uncountable, plural breathlessnesses)

1. (usually) The state of being breathless or out of breath, especially merely temporarily from exertion.
   • Climbing eight flights of stairs while the elevator is out of service can easily produce some breathlessness in people whose physical fitness is otherwise not noticeably impaired.
   • Dickinson's longer lines and use of ampersands ^([Bronski means dashes]) creates a breathlessness that evokes sexual excitement, an urgency that precludes, or at least, overshadows thought.1980 December 13, Michael Bronski, “A Longing For Passion To Transcend Thought”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 12
2. (usually) Difficult or labored breathing, as a symptom or sign of a medical condition.
   • Since he'd entered the urgent care center, his breathlessness had only gotten worse, even though he'd been sitting quietly.

   Synonyms:

   shortness of breath, SOB, dyspnea, dyspnoea