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
In group chats and meetings, Republicans are privately petrified the Iran war could cost them the midterms.
—
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
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
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrified
Verb
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All borrowing options will be exhausted by February, Fine said.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
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The starting quarterback competition is coming down to returning players Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall, as Jalon Daniels has exhausted his eligibility and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins recovers from an injury.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026
Verb
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This has undermined its credibility among investors too.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
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Alabama had asked the Supreme Court to move quickly on the appeals following its landmark ruling last month that undermined Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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War rumbles on Putin, who has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, faces a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the war in Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins, and drained Russia’s $3 trillion economy.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
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Laney-Hamilton, of course, drained the jumper with Kneepkens picking herself up off the hardwood.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Verb
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However, when the researchers adjusted the findings for other factors that can affect risk for the conditions, known as confounders — such as genetic and familial influences and the reasons for taking antidepressants — most links significantly weakened or disappeared.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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Starmer’s authority weakened after Labor’s poor performance in recent elections, blamed on policy missteps, economic struggles, and the prime minister’s controversial decisions, including appointing an ambassador with ties to Jeffrey Epstein.—
Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The hardcore ankle boots are now dehydrated and crumpled.—
Liana Satenstein,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
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The resulting brew is dehydrated and packed with minerals and vital joint-supporting compounds.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 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
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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
Verb
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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
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Rihanna wore tiger-print Alaïa d’Orsay pumps twice in New York in January, first with denim-on-denim and then with a matching coat, while Angel Reese went bolder that month in blue leopard-print Jennifer Le thigh-high boots with fox-fur trim.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
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The first piece visitors encounter upon entering Iris van Herpen’s new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in New York is the designer’s 2016 bubble dress—a precursor to the 2026 iteration, which also emitted blown bubbles, that went viral when Eileen Gu wore it to the Met Gala last week.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petrified.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrified. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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