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In The Same Breath

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An idiomatic phrase meaning uttered almost simultaneously, or contrasting statements made within the very same breath or sentence.

Detailed Definition
The expression links two ideas through one exhalation, suggesting closeness, contradiction, or effortless movement between them. In poetry, a speaker may praise and condemn a beloved in the same breath, or mention birth beside death. Its bodily basis makes language intimate, showing how opposites can share one fragile space between inhalation and release.
Example
Example in poetry:
The poem praises the dawn and, in the same breath, mourns the night; The speaker calls the sea both cruel and generous in the same breath; The two neighbors condemn the war and celebrate its profits in the same breath; By placing love and fear in the same breath, the poet shows their uneasy connection.
Additional Notes
“In the same breath” means in nearly the same statement or at almost the same moment. It often highlights a contrast, as in praising an idea while criticizing it in the same breath. The phrase can also describe rapid sequence rather than exact simultaneity.
Also Known As
In The Same Vein In One's Next Breath
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