Spanish Conversation · Level 71
60 words
Spanish word
atentado
Pronunciation
IPA/atenˈtaðo/
Meaning
- masculine nounterrorist attack
Example
Se produjo un atentado cerca del aeropuerto.
There was a terrorist attack near the airport.
More examples
Tras un atentado contra civiles, la gente pidió más seguridad.
After an attack against civilians, people asked for more security.
Core concept
Planned violent act intended to cause fear among the public.
Common phrases
atentado contra civiles
attack against civilians
atentado reivindicado
claimed attack
atentado explosivo
bombing
Similar words
ataque: Direct act of violence that intends to harm a person or a place.
terrorismo: Violent actions that aim to spread fear to achieve political or religious goals.
asesinato: Intentional unlawful killing of a person.
Definition in Spanish
Acto violento y deliberado que causa daño o terror en la población, especialmente con carácter terrorista.
Word origin
The noun comes from the past participle of atentar, from Latin attentare (ad- 'to' + tentare 'to try'), originally 'to attempt', and denotes a deliberate violent attack that causes public terror.
Usage tips
- Atentado is a formal, heavy word common in news and official reports for politically motivated violence, while ataque or incidente are more common in everyday speech for non-political violent events.