short-winded
/'ʃɔ:t'windid/
Definition
Adjective: 1. Breathing laboriously or convulsively: Describes a state of being out of breath easily, often after minimal physical exertion, characterized by quick, shallow, or difficult breathing. 2. Brief and concise (less common, figurative): Describing speech or writing that is abrupt or lacking in detail.
Usage
The primary and most common use describes a physical state of breathlessness. It is often used in medical or descriptive contexts. - Example (Physical State): "After climbing just one flight of stairs, he became short-winded and had to stop." - Example (Figurative Speech): "His report was disappointingly short-winded; it omitted all the crucial data." (Note: This usage is less frequent.)
Advanced Usage
- Medical/Descriptive Context: Used to describe a symptom, often related to conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or poor physical fitness.
- The doctor noted the patient was short-winded even at rest, indicating a serious cardiac issue.
- Comparative Form: Can be used in comparative or superlative forms to describe degrees of breathlessness.
- She was more short-winded after her illness than before.
Variants and Related Words
- Shortness of breath (n.): The noun form describing the condition itself.
- The main symptom was a persistent shortness of breath.
- Winded (adj.): Temporarily breathless, often from a sudden exertion.
- The sprint left him completely winded.
Synonyms
- Breathless: Lacking breath, gasping.
- Puffed (out): Informal term for being out of breath.
- Dyspneic: The formal medical term for experiencing difficult or labored breathing.
Antonyms
- Long-winded: Speaking or writing at great, often tedious, length. (Note: This is an antonym primarily for the less common figurative meaning).
- Unwinded: Not out of breath.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Out of breath: The most common phrase with a very similar meaning to the primary definition of 'short-winded'.
- The run left me completely out of breath.
- To get one's wind back: To recover one's normal breathing after exertion.
- He sat down for a minute to get his wind back.
Adjective
-
breathing laboriously or convulsively
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