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 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
  • Such an approach undermines confidence in FIFA’s governance framework and diminishes the authority of its statutory bodies.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • The new law, however, includes a provision that critics say undermines privacy and threatens individual safety.
    — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • In fact, researchers warn that regular use not only weakens healthy sleep but increases the risk of dependence.
    — Joan M. Cook, Time, 31 July 2026
  • Water limits visibility and weakens the effectiveness of traditional surveillance systems such as radar.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Redesign how the job actually gets done on-site, begin with where your people spend their time and what drains it, and bring in technology to serve that work.
    — Jessica Beck, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Continue reading … DIGITAL HEIST — Coldcard wallet attack drains up to $89M in Bitcoin from 1,200+ addresses.
    — , FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of drains
Verb
  • 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
  • Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.
    — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
Definition of exhausts
Verb
  • That patience pays off in the way Extrait wears so richly, albeit noticeably softer and more enveloping than its raw materials read on paper.
    — Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Violet Spurgeon wears a yellow dress, a rainbow sash, a tiara and a pair of boxing gloves with her name printed across them.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • 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
  • Alcohol worsens sleep quality and dehydrates the body, while caffeine has a diuretic effect that encourages fluid loss and can raise body temperature.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 1 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 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of petrifies for Spanish Speakers

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