fossilized

adjective

fos·​sil·​ized ˈfä-sə-ˌlīzd 

1

: having been changed into a fossil : subjected to fossilization

fossilized wood

And in 1997 he found several thousand fossilized eggs from a giant sauropod, or plant-eating dinosaur, just 120 miles north. The find included the first-known fossilized dinosaur embryos, as bits of fossilized dino-skin.

—Eric Niiler

2

: old and unchanging or outmoded

fossilized notions

As the mountains get higher, the houses become tin-roof shacks, with yards full of fossilized appliances and ancient cars.

—Elizabeth Gilbert

: made firm, fixed, or rigid by the passage of time

I love the living language more than the fossilized variety with its hardened meanings and set-in-stone lexicon.

—Paul McFedries

I know when I took photos in the past I was looking either for particularly artistic shots or ones that might become fossilized memories adorning a mantel.

—Robert W. Lucky

Synonyms

• archaic
• antiquated
• obsolete
• prehistoric
• medieval
• prehistorical

Examples of fossilized in a Sentence

fossilized notions about the proper place of women in society

Recent Examples on the Web

Recent analysis of fossilized remains in Kenya ostensibly proves that Paranthropis boisei was fully capable of crafting and using their own tools. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2025

Using a similar method as the one scientists follow to determine the animals responsible for fossilized footprints — but with a dose of lightheartedness — Granatosky and his colleagues carried out the first scientific analysis of the imprint, published Tuesday in the journal Biology Letters. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

The Denisovans are an extinct subspecies of archaic humans, which were discovered in 2010 after researchers found a fossilized finger in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025

The piece similarly matches the species Albadraco tharmisensis, the size of which was determined based on fossilized vertebrae, according to the study. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fossilized

• acclimatized
• actualized
• aerosolized
• alphabetized
• aluminized
• anaesthetized
• anesthetized
• annualized
• antagonized
• apologised
• apologized
• capitalised