petrifies

verb

present tense third-person singular of petrify
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

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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 Here, a source of primordial terror—the gaze that petrifies—is deflected by way of the highly polished shield that Perseus wields against the creature. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrifies
  1. undermines
  2. weakens
  3. drains
  4. exhausts
  5. wears
  6. dehydrates
  7. castrates
  8. deadens
Verb
  • But that undermines some of leisure’s biggest benefits — like cultivating a sense of joy, wonder, or learning.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 10 Nov. 2026
  • This undermines their own reversal of the Chancery Court, repeatedly throwing the firm back into the arms of its previous judge to invent a serious of unique reasons to derail the deal.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • Years passed, and Boakye watched as both his former partner and many of his friends died of complications from HIV, which infiltrates immune cells and weakens the body’s defenses.
    — Diana Kwon, Vox, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Losing research capacity weakens our ability to generate the next sources of economic growth.
    — Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Those surpluses initially built a miniscule reserve into a record-setting one, but they mainly have been used to shrink Connecticut’s hefty pension debt, a $30 billion-plus problem that still drains resources from other programs.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Since 2024, the Kanta Keepers cooperative has become integral to transporting waste between retailers and upcyclers, to maximize value and profit on every front, while improving flood resilience by keeping aisles and drains clear of waste.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • That pretty much exhausts the points of agreement between the pro- and anti-Proposition 40 camps.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of occupying both sides with large cooling vents, air enters toward the front of the station and exhausts through the rear.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of exhausts
Verb
  • Linda Noskova wears Missoni shorts and a jacket and white leather trench by The Frankie Shop; Miista boots.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The Puch wears race-spec WP suspension forks sourced from a 1993 Aprilia RS 125 R Grand Prix racer, along with a single-sided swingarm from the same machine.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • The facility dehydrates fruit and holds it for over seven days without a variance or HACCP plan.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This fine white powder is an abrasive substance that cuts the exoskeleton of spiders, ants, fleas, and other bugs, which dehydrates and kills them over time.
    — Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of dehydrates
Verb
  • 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
Definition of castrates
Verb
  • Oppressively hot, lie-down-and-take-a-nap hot, hydration-break hot, the kind of hot that deadens feet.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of deadens

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petrifies
petrify
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Cite this Entry

“Petrifies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifies. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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