PETRIFIED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

petrified

verb

Definition of petrified

past tense of petrify

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrified

Verb

But seven months into the conflict, with no clear end in sight, the global oil market has now largely exhausted the safety measures that exist to keep a lid on petroleum prices.

— Greg Pollock, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Such litigation should only be considered as a last resort once all other reasonable options have been exhausted.

— Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhausted

Verb

Having drained their budgets responding to the market shocks of the Gulf conflict, many governments will meet these new challenges with empty coffers.

— DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Over 600 million gallons of that water have now been drained, treated to remove contaminants and pumped deep underground.

— Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of drained

Verb

Lower-ticket maintenance items have held steadier in sales, which can help to prop up the top line, but the per-store productivity weakened even where top-line sales looked flat, Graff said.

— Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
The region’s long investment in coal and steel became a trap once the economic basis for those industries weakened.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

This is part of the natural aging process, and the visible signs of aging include looser texture, dry skin, and in some people oily skin that still feels dehydrated.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Alcohol Alcohol is one of the least effective choices when you’re dehydrated.

— Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of dehydrated

Verb

Strewn around the edges of the room are ceramic casts of the pocked fruit, brown and desiccated like a pile of skulls.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Olive trees, desiccated from the Xylella fastidiosa bacterial epidemic, are consumed by fire and slump to the ground in a burnished black heap.

— Angelica Calabrese, Longreads, 7 July 2026

Definition of desiccated

Verb

This is the league, remember, where a man (Harvey Updyke) confessed to poisoning the trees at Auburn on a radio show after Alabama lost to the Tigers, and a coach (Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State) castrated a bull to motivate his squad.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Those expectations got castrated because of last season’s early struggles.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

Definition of castrated

Verb

Carpenter wore black glittery shorts and a white button-down paired with a black beret and coordinating suspenders, seemingly in homage to Madonna’s early 1980s style.

— Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026
Cully wore a Double RL pinstripe double-breasted navy suit with a bolo tie and suede Double RL boots for the welcome night, and a Ralph Lauren Purple Label peak-lapel tuxedo for the wedding.

— Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of wore

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pet peeves

petrified

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“Petrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrified. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of petrified

verb

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