affannoso

breathless

adjective af-fan-NOH-zoh Rare

Also means

frantic

Usage Note

Affannoso derives from affanno (breathlessness, anxiety) and describes either physical breathlessness or a hectic, anxious state: una ricerca affannosa (a frantic search), respiro affannoso (laboured breathing). It agrees in gender and number: affannosa, affannosi, affannose. The adverb form is affannosamente.

Examples

"Dopo la corsa aveva un respiro affannoso."

Natural Translation

After the run, he had laboured breathing.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Avere Fame: Why Italians "Have" Hunger, Not "Are"

In Italian you say Ho fame (I have hunger), never sono fame. Learn the avere + noun rule for fame, freddo, paura, age, and the sono caldo trap to avoid.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Most Common Italian Verbs: The 10 That Unlock Speech

Drill these 10 most common Italian verbs first and you unlock past tense, modals, and the progressive — a 7-day plan with every present-tense form to memorize.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

You're Welcome in Italian: 8 Ways Beyond Prego

You're welcome in Italian is more than prego: say figurati to friends, si figuri to strangers, di niente, non c'è di che, or grazie a te. Pick the right one.

June 9, 2026 6 min read