as in to undermine
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 petrify
But Ingrid is petrified of dying and tries to convince Martha there is still plenty worth living for.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
Some three-dimensional metallic roses grew on their shiny reflective surfaces, with an important symbolism that served as a fit rouge for the entire collection: as fragile objects suddenly petrified, their hardened fragility was the designer’s own.
—Giorgia Feroldi, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
He was petrified by the thought of dying of cancer or some other disease whose senselessness disgusted him.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Medusa was known in ancient Greece for petrifying anyone who dared to look her in the eye, and has been seen as a personification of madness.
—Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
Some three-dimensional metallic roses grew on their shiny reflective surfaces, with an important symbolism that served as a fit rouge for the entire collection: as fragile objects suddenly petrified, their hardened fragility was the designer’s own.
—Giorgia Feroldi, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
He was petrified by the thought of dying of cancer or some other disease whose senselessness disgusted him.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Medusa was known in ancient Greece for petrifying anyone who dared to look her in the eye, and has been seen as a personification of madness.
—Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 17 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify
Verb
-
These weaknesses undermine its attractive valuation metrics and strong recent growth.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
In fact, May data shows rents in Connecticut have now fallen for the first time in years, undermining the idea that these tools are the problem.—
Jim Amann,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
Abandoning recognition can erode motivation, diminish engagement and make employees feel invisible, weakening the cultural fabric and undermining long-term resilience.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
But in an unexpected ruling in 2023, the Supreme Court declined an invitation to weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Soak rice for 30 minutes or overnight, then drain before cooking to increase arsenic loss further.—
Laura Schober,
Health,
18 June 2025
-
Why Culture Matters Toxic culture can drain performance, producing distrust, low creativity and high turnover.—
Chris Williams,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
In a world that has been desiccated of its resources, and of its ability to care about each other, the people in this novel don’t cry anymore.—
Emily Temple
May 27,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2025
-
Avoid hot, exposed sites which will cause foliage to desiccate.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
In the new workplace, don’t exhaust yourself to win over everyone.—
Naira Velumyan,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
If Southern California Edison equipment is found to have sparked the blaze on Jan. 7, as dozens of lawsuits allege, the damage claims could quickly exhaust the state’s $21-billion wildfire fund.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
If your skin is really feeling the dehydrating effects of sun exposure or simply the daily grind, make like Dua and pop on a Sarah Chapman Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Mask before your night cream.—
Georgia Day,
Vogue,
12 June 2025
-
The cabin environment can be surprisingly dehydrating, and cabin humidity usually hovers around 20 percent.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
1 June 2025
Verb
-
This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.—
Cameron Hilditch,
National Review,
28 Feb. 2021
-
The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.—
Teo Bugbee,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2020
Verb
-
Male piglets are routinely castrated without anesthesia.—
Eric Levitz,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
-
The victims are all male, the corpses all castrated, and each crime scene is signed with lines of poetry by the Argentinean writer Alejandra Pizarnik.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share