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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 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
-
This not only undermines local public media but also calls into question the wisdom of isolating Arkansas from a national network and associated resources that serve millions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Chronic stress keeps the nervous system stuck in a fight-or-flight state that quietly undermines physical progress before a workout even begins.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
An overreliance on tools weakens our civilization (and saps the film’s dramatic thrills).—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Ignoring this reality weakens any serious climate plan.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cold weather drains batteries quickly.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The great Amazon in its north drains large areas as does the Parana-River Plate watershed to its south that reaches the Atlantic in the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay, The San Francisco flows north for hundreds of miles before hooking a right and dropping to the Atlantic.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The denial exhausts the city’s legal options for the 2022 ballot measure, known as Measure C.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
No law enforcement professional wears a mask.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In the video, Kravitz wears a white minidress and black flats, while Styles is dressed down in jeans and a blue jacket.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Drink more water, too, since vomiting dehydrates you.—
Katie Way,
SELF,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Mill’s technology dehydrates food scraps overnight, reducing volume by up to 80%.—
Chelsea Davis,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petrifies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifies. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
