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 first film follows a group of French high-school students who travel to Naples on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 May 2026
Johansson plays her with a tough edge to match her Queens accent, but Hester is clearly petrified by this perfect storm of ugly events.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
In group chats and meetings, Republicans are privately petrified the Iran war could cost them the midterms.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petrified
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 May 2026
Johansson plays her with a tough edge to match her Queens accent, but Hester is clearly petrified by this perfect storm of ugly events.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
In group chats and meetings, Republicans are privately petrified the Iran war could cost them the midterms.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for petrified
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrified
Verb
-
Discussing the subject with an older person who is suffering from chronic pain, is worried about paying for health care or medications, and is exhausted from caregiving is untimely to say the least.—
Helen Dennis,
Daily News,
30 May 2026
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Most of the benefits from larger tax cuts have already been exhausted, Zandi said.—
Alex Harring,Deena Zaidi,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The same circadian system that morning sunlight activates can be reinforced or undermined by what’s screwed into your lamps for the next 14 hours.—
Allison Palmer
June 2,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
-
Spain’s success over the past five years has undermined many long-standing political-economic truisms.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
While Oklahoma City shot just 10-for-40 from 3-point land (including 0-for-5 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 1-for-9 from Lu Dort), the Spurs drained 15 3s in 41 attempts, with four each from Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Norrased sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Remsing, meanwhile, said that commodity-sensitive currencies like the Norwegian krone, Australian dollar and Brazilian real have also trended strongly as the de-dollarization theme petered out and the euro was weakened by the war.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
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That's because some jurisdictions weakened their public health authorities in response to criticism of lockdowns, school closures, mask mandates, vaccine requirements and other COVID-era restrictions.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
4 June 2026
Verb
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This mat becomes hydrophobic (water-repelling)—when water can no longer penetrate the soil, the grass roots in that area become severely dehydrated and turn brown.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
27 May 2026
-
Cloves can also be dehydrated and ground into garlic powder.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Her flesh is desiccated and gray, her hands and feet are jagged claws, and her breath comes out in rasps.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
If the very successful 25-year-old Coward had been caught with a man, he could have been jailed or chemically castrated.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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After his conviction, Turing was chemically castrated.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Rosalind disguised as a boy, Adele wore a bolo tie and a low-slung gun belt with a six-shooter.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Fanny wore a belt strapped across her narrow hips, her eyes clear and bright, jewels on her nails, a cigarette often tucked into her belt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrified. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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