attonito

Attonito is an Italian adjective used to describe a person who is astonished, stunned, or speechless in reaction to surprising or shocking news or events. The term typically conveys a strong, involuntary response rather than mild surprise. A person can be attonito or attonita; plural forms are attoniti (masculine) and attonite (feminine). Common constructions include rimase attonito (he remained astonished) or la folla era attonita di fronte alla notizia (the crowd was astonished by the news). The word is used across literary, journalistic, and colloquial registers, though it carries a slightly elevated or formal tone compared with sorpreso or sbalordito.

Etymology: It derives from the verb attonire, meaning to astonish or stun; the adjective functions as the past participle in gender and number agreement.

Usage notes: It emphasizes a sudden, often involuntary emotional state rather than cognitive analysis. It can be intensified by adverbs like comitamente or davvero (e.g., completamente attonito). It is common to pair with di fronte a or davanti a to indicate the triggering event: attonito di fronte alla notizia.

Related terms: sbalordito, stupito, incredulo, stupefacente (the latter describes the event rather than the person). See also astonishment in Italian, stordimento, and incredulità.