bated C1 Topic:Register & Style US /ˈbeɪtɪd/ UK /ˈbeɪtɪd/ See IPA manual Freq #60405 Meanings 1 adj held back, reduced, or restrained, now used chiefly in the phrase 'with bated breath' The audience waited with bated breath for the final result. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · held back, reduced, or... restrainedheldsubduedreduced ↔ Opposites unabatedunrestrained Word family Related forms bateabateunabated Etymology The past participle of bate, an aphetic form of abate ("to lessen or restrain"). In bated breath, recorded from the late sixteenth century, the breath is figuratively held back in suspense. Topics Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bated **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbeɪtɪd/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbeɪtɪd/ **Frequency rank:** 60405 ## Meanings 1. held back, reduced, or restrained, now used chiefly in the phrase 'with bated breath' ## Examples - The audience waited with bated breath for the final result. ## Synonyms - restrained - held - subdued - reduced ## Antonyms - unabated - unrestrained ## Related Forms - bate - abate - unabated ## Etymology The past participle of bate, an aphetic form of abate ("to lessen or restrain"). In bated breath, recorded from the late sixteenth century, the breath is figuratively held back in suspense. ## Topics - Register & Style markdown