(Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)

Reading a good book might seem as natural as breathing. Writing one? Not so much. Writers often labor over words, including breath and breathing.

Before proceeding, let’s look at the differences between breath and breathe.

Breath (noun; short ea as in wealth and soft th as in truth): the air taken into or expelled from the lungs during respiration

Breathe (verb; long ea as in tease and hard th as in writhe): to take air into and then expel from the lungs; to respire

If you have trouble keeping the words straight, remember that the verb breathe ends with an e, and verb contains an e.

Throughout this post, breath and breathing can often be interchanged.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

The way characters breathe, or don’t breathe, shows their emotions.

Alarm, anxiety, concern, dread
holding one’s breath
shallow, fast breaths

Anger, rage
noisy breathing
loud speech with short breaths between sentences

Anguish, depression, despair
hyperventilation
shaky, shallow breaths

Annoyance
holding one’s breath
berating someone else for breathing or chewing too loudly

Attraction, desire
holding one’s breath
fast breaths

Calmness, patience, peacefulness, serenity
quiet, breathy voice
deep, relaxed breaths

Confidence
puffed-out chest
deep, relaxed breaths

Disbelief
short gasp
holding one’s breath for a moment

Emotional distress, pain
labored breathing
hyperventilation

Envy, jealousy
breathing through clenched teeth
muttered insults under one’s breath

Fear, fright, terror
holding one’s breath
shallow, rasping breaths

Frustration
holding one’s breath
rapid expulsion of air

Guilt
deep breaths
uneven breathing

Happiness, satisfaction
breathy giggles
deep, relaxed breathing

Hatred
loud breathing
short, rapid breaths through flared nostrils

Hopefulness
deep breaths
holding one’s breath

Impatience
releasing a pent-up breath
loud breathing

Infatuation, love
deep breaths
checking one’s breath behind a raised hand

Insecurity
slumped posture, shallow breathing
checking one’s breath behind a raised hand

Irritation
noisy inhalations through nostrils
pulling in a huge breath and holding it

Nervousness, worry
quick, shallow breaths
inhaling through nostrils and exhaling through pursed lips

Overwhelm
labored breathing, panic attack
loud exhalation accompanied by low moan

Paranoia
short, shallow breaths
holding one’s breath

Pride, self-satisfaction
deep breaths
puffed-out chest

Relief
sighing
releasing a large pent-up breath

Scorn
puffed-out chest
exhaling with a pfft sound

Shock, surprise
breathless voice
sudden audible inhalation through mouth

Unease
humming under one’s breath
breathing that keeps time with a song playing in one’s mind

If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Adjectives to Describe Breath and Breathing

Labored? Effortless? Panic-stricken? An asthmatic’s breathing will differ from that of an athlete or a nervous job applicant.

As you peruse this list of descriptors, bear in mind that many are opinion adjectives.

A and B
abdominal, abortive, abrupt, absent, accidental, acrid, agonized, agonizing, alcoholic, angry, anguished, anticipatory, apathetic, apprehensive, aromatic, asthmatic, audible, automatic, autonomic, bad, bated, bibulous, bitter, blissful, blistering, bloody, blustery, boozy, brisk, brittle, bug-free, bug-infested

C and D
calculated, calm, carefree, careful, carnivorous, carrion, casual, cautious, chest-swelling, choking, clammy, clattery, cloying, condescending, confident, congested, conscious, constrained, contemptuous, convulsive, cool, crisp, croaky, dank, decisive, deep, deliberate, demonic, desperate, despondent, difficult, dispassionate, dispirited, dolorous, dramatic, drawn-out, dry

E and F
easy, effortless, emotionless, energizing, ephemeral, erratic, euphoric, exaggerated, exasperated, excruciating, exhilarating, expectant, experimental, explosive, extended, exuberant, exultant, faint, fainting, fearful, feeble, fervent, fetid, fiery, final, first, fitful, flaming, fleeting, foamy, forced, foul, fragmented, fragrant, frantic, frenzied, fresh, frigid, frosty, frothy, full, fusty, futile

G and H
gagging, gaseous, gasping, gentle, germy, ghastly, glottal, gratifying, greedy, grim, groaning, gulping, gusty, guttural, hacking, half-hearted, harsh, hasty, haunting, heady, heavy, histrionic, hoarse, hopeful, hot, humid, hurried, hushed, husky, hysterical

I to L
icy, impatient, impotent, inaudible, indifferent, indignant, indistinct, ineffectual, instinctive, intentional, intermittent, intoxicating, invigorating, involuntary, irregular, jerky, jittery, jubilant, labored, laborious, languid, last, lazy, lengthy, lethargic, light, lingering, liquor-laced, listless, long, long-suffering, loud, lusty, luxurious

M to O
malodorous, mechanical, meditative, melancholy, melodramatic, moaning, much-needed, mucousy, muffled, nasty, natural, nauseating, nervous, noiseless, noisy, noxious, obvious, odious, offensive, off-putting, ominous, optimistic

P
pained, pain-free, painful, painless, panicky, panic-stricken, panting, peaceful, pent-up, plaintive, pleasurable, polluted, portentous, potent, powerful, preliminary, premature, preparatory, prolonged, pronounced, protracted, pungent, purposeful, putrid

Q and R
quick, rabid, racking, ragged, rancid, rank, rapid, rapturous, rasping, raspy, rattling, raw, reflex, refreshing, regular, relaxed, repugnant, repulsive, resolute, restorative, resurgent, retching, reticent, revitalizing, revolting, rhythmic, robust, rotten, rousing, rueful, rushed

S
saccharine, salty, satisfying, self-confident, self-important, serene, shaky, shallow, sharp, shrill, sibilant, sickening, sickly, silent, slight, slow, sluggish, smoky, smooth, snobbish, snotty, sobbing, sober, soft, sonorous, sooty, sorrowful, sour, spasmodic, spicy, spiritless, sporadic, sputtering, squeaky, staccato, stale, steady, steadying, stealthy, stertorous, stinky, stomach-churning, subdued, sub-glottal, sudden, sullen, supercilious, sweet, syrupy

T and U
tense, tentative, terse, testy, theatrical, thin, throaty, tight, timid, timorous, tiny, torpid, torturous, toxic, tranquil, tremulous, turbulent, uncontrolled, uneasy, unenthusiastic, unfettered, unholy, unimpeded, unpleasant, unruffled, unsatisfying, unstable, unsteady, unworried, useless

V to W
vexed, vile, visible, vital, voluntary, walloping, warm, wary, weak, weary, welcome, whimpering, whooping, whopping, wintry, wistful, woozy

Similes and Metaphors

Friedrich inched toward the end of the dark tunnel, and pushed the cover with a tentative palm. Frischluft! Gott sei Dank! He swallowed his first breath of freedom in his new country.

Even if you don’t know a word of German, you’ll understand the analogy of freedom to fresh air.

Here are a few more idea-starters:

• cloyingly sweet, like honey mixed with maple syrup
• convulsive as a newborn’s first gulps of air
• crisp as a winter wind
• laborious as a mountain climber’s gasps at high altitude
• like a sofa cushion wheezing under the weight of a sumo wrestler
• like a tire hissing its way to pancake status
• like a whisp of morning mist
• like ill-tuned bagpipes
• like the puffs of an accelerating steam engine
• like the rhythmic whoosh and clunk of a blacksmith’s bellows
• noisy as a pressure-relief valve
• shrill as a dentist’s drill
• welcome as fresh air to a pearl diver breaking the surface of the sea
• wheezier than an asthmatic without an inhaler
• with a snore that rumbles the rafters like an earthquake

Breath Scents

Wordsmiths often include the scent of breath by making figurative comparisons. Just about anything a person eats, tongues, inhales, or stuffs in the mouth will transfer its scent.

This list contains a sampling of figurative and literal comparison starters.

A to E
acetone, another man, another woman, apples, an ashtray, an autopsy, a baby’s bellybutton, a bar, beef jerky, bratwurst, Brussels sprouts, bubblegum, cannabis, a cesspit, cherry pie, cigarette butts, compost, cough syrup, dead [fill in the blank], death, dirty bath towels, dog breath, espresso, an ex-girlfriend’s lipstick, expectorant

F to T
fish, glue, a horse’s butt, a hospital, kitty litter, limes, Mary Jane, meatballs with gravy, medicine, a moldy public shower, a nursing home, nutmeg, onions, oranges, oysters, pepper, rancid cheese, road kill, rotten meat, rotten socks, sauerkraut, snuff, something dead, sour milk, spice, strawberries, sulfur, tacos, tequila, a toilet

See also the Scents sections of 600+ Ways to Describe Beards and 800+ Ways to Describe Chins.

Verbs (1): Transitive

A patient’s shallow breathing could alarm her doctor or disquiet a visitor. A wounded soldier’s breath might seep through his teeth. The breath of a man in a snowstorm will warm his hands.

Commonality: each verb or phrasal verb requires a direct object, as do those in the following list.

A to F
alarm, billow (across, into, over, through), blow (across, into, over, through), bubble (from, out of, over, through), burst (from, out of, through), caress, come in, concern, disquiet, distend, drift (from, out of, over, through), erupt (from, out of), explode (from, out of), flood, flow (from, out of, through), foam (out of, through), froth (from, out of, over, through)

I to W
intoxicate, puff (across, into, over, through), seep (from, out of, through), surge (from, out of), tickle, trickle (from, out of), unnerve, unsettle, waft (across, into, over, through), warm, weave (across, into, over, through), whoosh (across, into, over, through), worry

Verbs (2): Intransitive

When included in verb phrases, many intransitive verbs become transitive. For example: His breath rattled. In this sentence, rattled stands alone (intransitive). His breath rattled in his chest. What did his breath rattle in? It rattled in his chest. Rattled in is a transitive phrasal verb.

B to W
bugle, burble, catch, cease, escape, fail, freeze, gurgle, halt, hitch, pause, quicken, rattle, reek, resume, smell, stink, stop, whistle

Verbs (3): Verbs that Take Breath or Breathing as an Object

These verbs and phrasal verbs represent what characters can do with or to their breath/breathing or to that of others.

For example:

• She fought for breath.
• The nurse listened to the baby’s breathing.
• The scarf muffled his breath.
• He suppressed his breathing.

B to T
block, catch, cease, check out, control, cover up, crave, draw (in), exhale, fight for, force out, freshen, gasp, gulp, heave, hinder, hold, huff, impede, inhale, let loose, let out, listen to, lose, monitor, muffle, muzzle, need, notice, obstruct, puff out, release, save, snuff out, spit out, squeeze (from, out of), stifle, stop, struggle for, suck in, suppress, take (away), trap

Nouns to Replace Breath and Breathing

Too many repetitions of breath and breathing in your WIP? Consider alternatives:

C to W
choke, exhalation, expiration, gasp, gulp, hiss, huff, hyperventilation, inhalation, lungful, morning miasma, mouthful of air, pant, puff, rattle, snore, snort, snuffle, splutter, wheeze, wind

Story Props

Try to develop a storyline or subplot with one or more of the following props.

#
911 call

A and B
aromatherapy, asbestos, aspiration, asthma inhaler, bad news, bee allergy, belching, bitter almond odor (evidence of cyanide poisoning), breath spray, breathalyzer, bronchitis, brown bag (for puffing into during hyperventilation attack), burglary

C to G
cayenne pepper, chest cold, choking, cold hands (blowing on them), COPD, corset, cough syrup, cystic fibrosis, decaying teeth (bad breath), dental braces, dental bridge, dental retainer, dentist, diaphragm, free diving, girdle, goldenrod

H to P
halitosis, haunted house, Heimlich maneuver, high-altitude training, hyperventilation, ketoacidosis (possible diabetes), lung cancer, lung transplant, marathon race, meditation, mountain climbing, mouse, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, muffler, organ donor, oxygen mask, panic attack, peanut allergy, plastic bag, plugged nose, pneumonia

R to Y
rescue breath, scarf, scuba mask, shortness of breath, ski mask, smog, snake, snorkel, spider, strep throat (bad breath), stressful situation, suffocation, tantrum, tax audit, tongue piercing, tonsillitis (bad breath), tuberculosis, Valsalva maneuver (scuba diving), ventilator, wasp allergy, yoga

See also the Nouns section of 600+ Ways to Describe Lips and Mouths.

Clichés and Idioms

A search for “living, breathing” and “living and breathing” at Google produces millions of search results — strong evidence that writers should avoid phrases such as the following:

• a living and breathing culture
• a living and breathing document
• a living, breathing being
• a living, breathing monster

Opt instead for descriptors such as alive, animate, aware, conscious, reactive, responsive, sentient, or vibrant.

Included way too often by some writers are characters releasing a breath they didn’t realize they had been holding. More than a couple of times per novel, and readers will notice.

Here are a few more overused phrases, with suggested replacements.

• below one’s breath: discreetly, softly, quietly
• breath of fresh air: different, innovative, new, refreshing
• in the next breath: immediately, next, then
• in the same breath: concurrently, instantaneously, simultaneously
• out of breath: breathless, gasping, winded
• to breathe one’s last: die, expire, perish
• to get one’s breath back: rally, rebound, recover
• to speak under one’s breath: mumble, murmur, mutter
• to take a breather: chill, relax, rest
• to take one’s breath away: astonish, awe, shock, surprise
• waste of breath: futile, pointless, useless
• with bated breath: anxious, eager, excited
• with every breath: continuously, incessantly, nonstop