attonito

astonished

adjective aht-TOH-nee-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin attonitus (thunderstruck, stunned).

Also means

dumbfounded

Usage Note

Attonito conveys a stronger, more literary degree of surprise than stupito or sorpreso — closer to 'thunderstruck' or 'flabbergasted.' It is mostly used in written Italian and formal registers. The feminine is attonita; plural attoniti/attonite. It typically follows essere or restare: sono rimasti attoniti dalla notizia (they were dumbfounded by the news).

Examples

"Rimase attonito davanti a quella scena."

Natural Translation

He stood astonished before that scene.

Literal Translation

He-remained astonished in-front-of that scene.

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