PETRIFY Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

petrify

verb

ˈpe-trə-ˌfī

Definition of petrify

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

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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 petrify The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 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 You'll be petrified by the violence inflicted upon boys who only wanted a chance to pull their families out of financial duress and have an opportunity at a comfortable life afforded to most of us sitting in our seats. — Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 13 Sep. 2025 So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for petrify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify

Verb

There’s a sense that doubt would be a form of disloyalty to what came before you, or that admitting a weakness undermines the confidence of the people around you.

— Flavio Maluf, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Several roads near Westward Beach in Malibu are closed after additional erosion undermined the roadway and exposed a Los Angeles County water main.

— Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

But while those will provide short-term relief, the currency is expected to weaken toward the end of the year and mid-2027, and a 100 rupee-per-dollar mark could not be ruled out, strategists said.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
However, following his arrest, the owner, Mohammad Khan, blamed this week's rains for weakening one of the roofs, according to police, who said the investigation was still underway.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Strewn around the edges of the room are ceramic casts of the pocked fruit, brown and desiccated like a pile of skulls.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of desiccate

Verb

So, get ready for mountain vistas and exhausting cycling days to take your breath away and questions about your life choices to swirl around in your head!

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
That pretty much exhausts the points of agreement between the pro- and anti-Proposition 40 camps.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Most people wake mildly dehydrated after six to eight hours of sleep, dietitians and endocrinologists say.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Hydrate before you caffeinate Six to eight hours of sleep leaves most people mildly dehydrated by morning, thanks to breathing and sweat.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of dehydrate

Verb

Its students arrive morally outraged, a priori puritans, while its professors are enervated and dissatisfied.

— Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
The impact of that shocking final scene is sufficient to send viewers out feeling enervated after what’s been a pretty desultory final act.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026

Definition of enervate

Verb

This is the league, remember, where a man (Harvey Updyke) confessed to poisoning the trees at Auburn on a radio show after Alabama lost to the Tigers, and a coach (Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State) castrated a bull to motivate his squad.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Those expectations got castrated because of last season’s early struggles.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

Definition of castrate

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“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of petrify

verb

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