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
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Recent Examples of petrify
Nearly every day brings a fresh breach of what were once thought to be the rules, moves that have thrilled his insurgent supporters and petrified his nervous opponents.
—
Peter Baker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 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
The body was supposedly petrified by sap, and the loggers found several gold coins dating to the late 1600s, as well as pieces of paper identifying the person as Pierre D’Artagnan.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Peter Baker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 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
The body was supposedly petrified by sap, and the loggers found several gold coins dating to the late 1600s, as well as pieces of paper identifying the person as Pierre D’Artagnan.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify
Verb
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The report also undermines Orbán’s claims that Hungary has no option but to purchase Russian oil.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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This constitutes a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, undermines the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and obstructs the establishment of their independent sovereign state .—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Getty Images Since the June strikes, Iran’s rulers have been weakened by street protests, suppressed at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled the country’s oil income.—
Max Burman,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some purchasers had issues with the hook-and-loop straps weakening quickly.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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CEOs are struggling to switch off, Ko says, and making high-stakes decisions while their mental batteries are drained.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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This was an adaptation of the 1906 novel about the meatpacking industry by Upton Sinclair; famously, Lookingglass actors hung by their heels, depicting the draining carcasses of the Chicago Stockyards.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Try to get a look below the surface—if anything is broken, damaged, rotten, or desiccated, a simple trim could help.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
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Indoor conditions tend to be dry during the winter, so placing pots on top of saucers with pea gravel that is kept moist on a regular basis increases needed humidity and prevents leaves from desiccating.—
Special to The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This is particularly important when air-drying laundry, taking a shower, cooking, or cleaning, and it should be done even in kitchens and bathrooms with ventilation systems that exhaust directly to the outdoors.—
Nashia Baker,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
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Sources stressed the request for help from Mexico was to exhaust all options but there is not any clear evidence suggesting either Guthrie or the kidnappers are there.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Waking up mildly dehydrated can affect energy, focus, and digestion.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
19 Feb. 2026
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In September 2008, Jackson was hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after complaining of severe stomach pains and becoming dehydrated, according to the Associated Press.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The results are often enervating though sometimes clumsy.—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
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This may reframe his friend’s enervating habit.—
Hope Hunt,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There was a serial castrator on the Upper West Side who would take kids, lead ’m into Central Park, castrate them, and then murder them.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
28 Jan. 2026
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Before long a steer, or castrated bull, named Sue gingerly wanders into the Darwin home.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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