Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| shock | /ˈʃok/ | masculine |
| anonadación | /anonadaθjon/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /anonadasjon/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
| anonadamiento | /anonadamjento/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| sobresalto | /sobɾeˈsalto/ | masculine |
Spanish uses several words for a sudden mental or emotional disturbance. The term shock is a common anglicism used to describe both emotional and medical shock. To say someone has entered a state of shock, use the phrase entrar en shock. If you want to express the action of causing emotional shock, you can use the verbs shockear, choquear or conmocionar. For the specific action of giving an electric shock, use the phrase pasarle corriente/electricidad.
Which one should you use?
The word shock is a common anglicism used for general emotional or medical shock. Anonadación describes a state of being completely overwhelmed or crushed by news or an event, often representing utter dismay or overwhelming shock. Anonadamiento is a related masculine form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal settings, you might use anonadación to describe being overwhelmed or the phrase quedarse estupefacto/a to mean being dumbfounded. In contrast, shock is considered colloquial due to its status as an anglicism. For informal or colloquial situations, you can use alucinar to mean being amazed, estar flipando to express being blown away by surprise or the very informal expression caerse de culo to mean being stunned or gobsmacked.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun shock is masculine. Anonadación is a feminine noun, while anonadamiento and sobresalto are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃok/
Did you know?
- The word anonadamiento comes from the verb anonadar, which literally means 'to reduce to nothing'.
- While estar flipando is a staple of daily speech in Spain to express being shocked or blown away, it is rarely used in Latin America.
- The word sobresalto literally contains the word for a 'jump', as it stems from the combination of sobre- and salto (jump).
Examples in context
- Ella murió del shock.She died of shock.This sentence is useful for describing someone dying due to shock.Tatoeba #1258413 by marcelostockle, translation #310930 by CK
- Tom ha entrado en shock.Tom is in shock.This sentence is useful for saying someone has entered a state of shock.Tatoeba #5566785 by swyter, translation #2273239 by CK
- Fue un gran shock para mí.It was a great shock to me.This sentence is useful for expressing that something was a great shock to someone.Tatoeba #1264899 by marcelostockle, translation #42105 by CK
- Estoy sorprendida por tu generosidad.I am surprised by your generosity.
- Está sorprendido por los resultados del informe.He is surprised by the report's results.
- Me quedé estupefacto/a al enterarme de la noticia.I was dumbfounded when I heard the news.
- Se quedó estupefacta al ver el increíble truco de magia.She was dumbfounded when she saw the incredible magic trick.
- El jurado no dio crédito a su increíble actuación.The jury couldn't believe her incredible performance.
- ¡Estoy flipando con lo que acabo de ver!I'm blown away by what I just saw!
- Estaban flipando con el nuevo videojuego.They were blown away by the new video game.
- ¡No puedes imaginar lo que he visto, estoy alucinando!You can't imagine what I saw, I'm amazed!
- Se cayó de culo al ver el regalo que recibió.He was gobsmacked when he saw the gift he received.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing a sudden piece of news.
- JavierLa noticia fue un shock total.The news was a total shock.
- SofíaSí, todavía estoy en shock.Yes, I am still in shock.
- JavierÉl no pudo superar el shock.He could not overcome the shock.
- SofíaPobre hombre, fue un shock muy fuerte.Poor man, it was a very strong shock.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shock” translations and entries shock, anonadamiento, sobresalto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anonadamiento, shock, sobresalto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
