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 Synonyms for petrifies
Verb
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That pressure erodes well-being, undermines family life, and disproportionately impacts working parents and caregivers.
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It is believed internally that the organization’s independence has been dramatically compromised because she is also perceived as an opinion journalist with political ties to the current administration, which further undermines her credibility.
Verb
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When foreign investors pull money out of the country, demand for the rupiah drops, and the currency weakens.
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Every interaction either builds confidence or weakens it.
Verb
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The sensation, and the tranquility that comes with it, will stay with you long after the water drains away.
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Lavender prefers coarse, sandy soil that drains quickly.
Verb
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Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.
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If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.
Verb
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Farrell, who also narrates in a soft voice, often wears a look of shy incomprehension, as if a beat behind in translating the world around him, a stranger in a strange land.
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Non-inverter ACs feature simpler parts that are cheaper and easier to fix, but the stop-start cycle wears the mechanical parts out faster, so these air conditioners are more prone to frequent repairs and tend to have a shorter lifespan.
Verb
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Pest Control Baking soda acts as a barrier that dehydrates slugs, causes ants to lose their scent trail, and keeps aphids away.
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Alcohol While a cold glass of beer or a mixed drink may feel refreshing in the moment, alcohol dehydrates you.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Petrifies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifies. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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