petrified

adjective

pet·​ri·​fied ˈpe-trə-ˌfīd How to pronounce petrified (audio)
1
: converted into stone through a slow process of mineralization
petrified wood
a petrified forest
And at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History's annual dinosaur ball, about 800 patrons in black tie or gown waltz among the petrified remains of the once-glorious creatures.Sheldon Teitelbaum
2
: overwhelmingly fearful
was petrified of speaking in public
: rendered motionless or unable to act by fear
Charlie climbed onto the bed and tried to calm the three old people who were still petrified with fear. "Please don't be frightened," he said. "It's quite safe. And we're going to the most wonderful place in the world!"Roald Dahl
Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers. She seemed too appalled to speak.J. K. Rowling

Examples of petrified in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Biden is petrified that Arab Americans living in Michigan won’t vote for him in November, thereby cracking the Blue Wall and handing the election to Trump. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 For those looking to explore beyond Oaxaca's city limits, Otro can arrange tours to cultural sites, like the famed petrified waterfall Hierve el Agua and UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte Alban. Catherine Tansey, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2024 The four original structures on the property—in an area officially designated as Belle Canyon—were a brick oven, winery, barn, and petrified wooden bridge. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2024 His 17-year-old, Alabama, recently shared that her friends were petrified of him because of his hardcore exterior. Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 The petrified family heard glass break as militants broke into the home. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023 Aside from a mumbling Musk speaking from a Cybertruck bed, his face shrouded in darkness, the event’s other lowlight was a petrified Holzhausen, former design director at Mazda North America, soft-throwing a baseball that somehow didn’t shatter the Cybertruck’s side window. Carlton Reid, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2023 There were surreal sand dunes and prehistoric petrified wood; spiritual enclaves and sparkling waters. Julia Carmel, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2023 May more absolute crackpots come forward with their petrified duendes and brujas voladoras. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petrified.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of petrify

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of petrified was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near petrified

Cite this Entry

“Petrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrified. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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