ragged breathing
Uneven, strained inhalations
Ragged breathing is breathing that comes in uneven, irregular bursts rather than smooth, steady rhythm.
It typically signals physical exhaustion, emotional distress, or medical emergency: His ragged breathing told her he'd been running.
The phrase appears often in fiction to convey characters pushed to their limits—from exertion, fear, or arousal.
- gaspingBreathing in sharp gulps
- pantingRapid labored breathing
- laboredRequiring great exertion
- wheezingHarsh, whistling respiration
- shallowWithout much depth
heaving · choking · struggling · harsh · uneven · shuddering · hoarse · desperate · chest · chest tightness · lungs · exertion · fight or flight · panic · panic attack · exhaustion · sobbing · catching
- breathinginhalation, exhalation, inhale, exhale, respiration
- workout effectssweating, sweat, breathlessness, muscle soreness, soreness
- cryingcry, crying, tears, sob, sobbing
ragged, breathing, raggedly, raggedness, breathe, breath, breaths, breathes, breathed