spaventato
/spa.venˈta.to/
The Italian word for scared is spaventato.
spaventato is an adjective used to describe someone who is afraid or frightened, often as a result of a specific event. It is derived from the verb spaventare, which means to scare or to frighten.
Meaning: afraid, frightened (adj)
Which one should you use?
While spaventato describes the specific state of being frightened, the idiomatic way to express a general feeling of fear or the sense of being afraid is to use the phrase avere paura.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, spaventato must agree in gender and number with the people who are scared. You can use spaventata for a feminine singular subject, spaventati for a masculine plural subject and spaventate for a feminine plural subject.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /spa.venˈta.to/.
Did you know?
- If someone is 'scared stiff', an Italian might say they are pietrificato, which means 'petrified' or turned to stone.
- If you want to say you are 'scared to death', Italians do not use the word 'death' but often say morire dalla paura, which literally translates to 'dying from the fear'.
- To express extreme terror, Italians use the phrase essere terrorizzato, but in casual speech, they might say avere i brividi, which means 'to have the shivers'.
Examples in context
- Tom si è spaventato.Tom got scared.This sentence shows the use of spaventato to describe a person who became scared.Tatoeba #5283432 by Guybrush88, translation #2144529 by oneconor
- Lui mi ha spaventato.He scared me.This sentence uses spaventato to describe someone who was scared by another person.Tatoeba #3954259 by Guybrush88, translation #2862017 by Amastan
- Cosa ti ha spaventato?What scared you?This sentence uses spaventato to ask about the cause of someone's fear.Tatoeba #2003250 by Guybrush88, translation #1886716 by CK
- Marco era così spaventato quando ha sentito quel rumore inquietante durante la notte.Marco was so scared when he heard that unsettling noise during the night.
- Lucia ha paura dei ragni.Lucia is afraid of spiders.
- Non riesco a stare calmo, mi sento in ansia per l'esame.I can't stay calm, I feel anxious about the exam.
- Quel film horror mi fa venire i brividi.That horror movie gives me the chills.
- Non entro in quella casa, mi spaventa un sacco.I'm not going into that house, it scares me a lot.
- 259 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina are watching a horror movie.
- LorenzoSei spaventata per il film?Are you scared because of the movie?
- MartinaSì, sono molto spaventata!Yes, I am very scared!
- LorenzoNon essere spaventata, Martina.Don't be scared, Martina.
- MartinaMa tu non sembri spaventato.But you don't seem scared.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry spaventato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
