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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
  • Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In this telling, the column contends that the president’s rhetoric trivializes public anxiety about potential catastrophic risks and undermines efforts to build serious safety frameworks.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • Each decision to move work overseas further weakens the economic conditions needed to sustain domestic capacity.
    — George Whittier, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • However, Bernstein pointed out that even if the global AI trade weakens, India is unlikely to see any major reversal of foreign capital flows.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Nothing drains a team faster than not knowing which version of leadership will show up today.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Calderas form when the ground above a magma reservoir collapses as the magma drains away.
    — Yook Ji Hun, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • If a bureaucratic process exhausts whatever time a citizen has available, then benefits are lost or rights are denied.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 2026
Definition of exhausts
Verb
  • The Sierra follows the same basic recipe but wears it in typical GMC fashion, with that enormous signature grille, vertical lighting elements, and a more polished, upscale appearance.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
  • One team member, who usually wears medium-to-large coats, fit comfortably in a size small with room to spare.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • 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
  • Despite the belief that coffee dehydrates you, experts say moderate coffee consumption can contribute to your daily water intake.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 20 July 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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Cite this Entry

“Petrifies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifies. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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