Spanish Conversation · Level 122
60 words
Spanish word
aterrar
Pronunciation
IPA/ateˈraɾ/
Meaning
- verbscare
Example
La oscuridad me aterra.
The darkness scares me.
More examples
Esa película de terror me aterra cada vez que la veo.
That horror movie scares me every time I see it.
Core concept
Person recoiling from sudden fright.
Common phrases
aterrar a alguien
scare someone
me aterra
scares me
Similar words
asustar: Cause surprise or alarm, producing a brief shock.
espantar: Cause sudden fright through an unexpected event.
aterrorizar: Cause extreme terror or dread.
atemorizar: Instill a sense of fear or apprehension.
Definition in Spanish
Producir en alguien una sensación fuerte de miedo o estremecimiento.
Word origin
From Latin terrēre 'to frighten', Spanish aterrar preserves that root and is cognate with Spanish aterrador and English terror.
Usage tips
- Spanish commonly marks the person frightened with an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le) rather than a reflexive, while aterrarse usually describes becoming terrified oneself.
Other meanings
- horrifyverb
Opposites
- tranquilizarcalmverb
- consolarcomfortverb
Related words
- aterradorterrifyingadjective
- aterradofrightenedadjective