as in exhausted
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
groupthink and peer pressure have so petrified the thinking of the company's top brass that they haven't produced an innovative product in years
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Recent Examples of petrified
The only issue is his mother Laura (Wright), a woman who has lost a child once before and is petrified of a repeat.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petrified
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petrified
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrified
Verb
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Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, say they are exhausted by the bombs that have battered their city on a daily basis and terrified of the security checkpoints that have popped up looking for spies.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
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The inside-out tandem of point guard Kiki Rice and 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts — two of six UCLA seniors who played in the Final Four last season — eventually wore down a Minnesota defense that exhausted its hustle capital in the first half.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For the Royals, the loss undermined a stellar performance from starting pitcher Michael Wacha.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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These institutions undermined themselves too.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The escalation in the Middle East has drained both attention and resources away from Ukraine, Vadym, 31, added.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
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Gilgeous-Alexander was 5 of 15 from the floor in the first three quarters, but drained all three of his shots in the fourth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 14-month war that ended in November 2024, severely weakened the group, with many of its political and military commanders killed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
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If Democrats attach every policy wish list to the affordability banner, the message will dissolve into the same blur of priorities that has weakened the party before.—
Richard Yanowitch,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Though my teammates were dehydrated and slightly red in the summer heat, they were not demoralized.—
Gaby Del Valle,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Morels can be added to all sorts of meals, such as pasta, pizza, red meat and soup, or can be frozen or dehydrated for other use.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mahdi and Khadija had been struck by drought, and their bed was dry and desiccated, waterless down to its depths.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Dried or desiccated coconut flakes can be replaced with fresh coconut meat, or omit.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After his conviction, Turing was chemically castrated.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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Set in the Italian opera world of the 1700s, Rice’s novel tells the not-for-the-squeamish story of two male soprano singers who were castrated as boys in order to maintain their high voices.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The hosts at Peacock Alley wore floor-length dresses with golden paillettes that would not be amiss on an Emmys red carpet.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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One guest wore lettuce on his head, another had a bird’s nest in her antlers, and a third donned a pineapple on top of a wire basket.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrified. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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