as in undermines
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 petrifies
The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.
—
Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrifies
Verb
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Pribisco said the bill undermines public trust and perception of officers in communities that already have heavy interactions with police officers.—
Marta Zherukha,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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Requiring them to operate as ordinary MPIA applicants misunderstands their role and undermines their purpose.—
Vaughn Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Dark money significantly weakens democracy.—
Willie Wilson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Even as the wealth tax debate weakens Khanna’s support among Silicon Valley heavyweights, this may not be enough to unseat him, Maviglio said, noting the tax would affect fewer than 250 people in the state.—
Julia Shapero,
The Hill,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pack drains a 3 and is up to 19 points, and Texas is on the verge of tumbling to the 10th seed in the SEC Tournament and back onto the NCAA bubble.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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Choose a commercial seed-starting mix that is loose and drains well.—
Holly McNamara,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fredericksburg still wears its German heritage on its sleeve, evident throughout Main Street architecture and a lively cluster of biergartens and long-running seasonal festivals.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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Instead, Pegula tends to go about her business quietly, relying on a calm temperament and a methodical style that wears opponents down over time.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Forgetting to Stay Hydrated While there's a widespread perception that coffee dehydrates, that's not necessarily true.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
20 Jan. 2026
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Drink more water, too, since vomiting dehydrates you.—
Katie Way,
SELF,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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By way of example, Morris points to a scene in Wiseman's 1993 documentary Zoo, in which an all-women surgical team at Miami zoo castrates a wolf.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petrifies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifies. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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