as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness
fossilized notions about the proper place of women in society
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Recent Examples of fossilized
Among the rocks and marine fossils, scientists have found fossilized pollen from the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene periods that reflects changes in the surrounding ecosystems.
—
Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, The Conversation, 20 May 2025
The fossilized rock is covered in dimples from raindrops, hinting at a shower just before the tracks were made—and indicating the amniotes were likely moving on dry land, as some of the paper’s authors write in an article for the Conversation.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
In 2022, researchers in northeast Mississippi unearthed a fossilized skeleton—including the skull—that had belonged to a mosasaur that lived more than 80 million years ago.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fossilized
Francisca Oboh Ikuenobe, The Conversation, 20 May 2025
The fossilized rock is covered in dimples from raindrops, hinting at a shower just before the tracks were made—and indicating the amniotes were likely moving on dry land, as some of the paper’s authors write in an article for the Conversation.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
In 2022, researchers in northeast Mississippi unearthed a fossilized skeleton—including the skull—that had belonged to a mosasaur that lived more than 80 million years ago.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fossilized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fossilized
Adjective
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Qualified people who could be priests except for archaic laws that no longer serve us continue to wait to be invited into the ranks of those who have been ordained. — Sara Roemer-Fieberg, Evanston Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Aug. 2025
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There are just 12 Full Members in world cricket, established nations who receive the most funding, fixtures and power in the sport’s rather archaic tiered structure.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Today, these antiquated statutes are increasingly being repurposed by governments to suppress opposition by prosecuting speech.—
Stephen Townley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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Similarly, with the industry under fire, there’s a strong incentive to chip away at antiquated laws that mostly protect entrenched incumbents at the expense of consumers and business innovators.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Federal agencies, local partners, landowners, and conservationists spent more than three decades, millions of dollars, and countless hours removing obsolete dams, restoring wetlands, and reintroducing fish populations to help pull the Roanoke logperch back from the brink.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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In 2022, after years of mismanagement at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility ended up contaminating Hawaii’s water supply, the Department of Defense shut down the obsolete, World War II-era fuel depot.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The findings challenge conventional interpretations of prehistoric violence as bring indiscriminate or committed for pragmatic reasons.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
21 Aug. 2025
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Petrified Forest National Park provides visitors with an insight into prehistoric Arizona.—
Olivia Rose,
AZCentral.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Archaeologists in Central Europe recently uncovered an ancient grave – reopened not by modern looters, but by medieval Poles over 1,000 years ago.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Although kept alive in scholarly settings, much like Latin was in medieval Europe, Sumerian was no longer spoken in ancient Mesopotamia after about 2000 BCE.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fossilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fossilized. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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