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
The only issue is his mother Laura (Wright), a woman who has lost a child once before and is petrified of a repeat.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify
Verb
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Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.—
Mark Sherman,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
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The Productivity Paradox The cruel irony of America’s sleep deficit is that overwork undermines the output it’s meant to produce.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Weighing in at 710 tons, the sculpture was built to circulate 30,000 gallons of water but has been drained since 2024 in order to have its inner workings assessed.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 May 2026
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Her own growth hasn’t just been paused by the demands of caring for a sick child, it’s been drained by the constant mental load that comes with it.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Her flesh is desiccated and gray, her hands and feet are jagged claws, and her breath comes out in rasps.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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Klosterman wondered if the recent heatwave would desiccate them.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The starting quarterback competition is coming down to returning players Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall, as Jalon Daniels has exhausted his eligibility and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins recovers from an injury.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026
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Diplomacy, economic pressure, and international cooperation should always be exhausted first.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The resulting brew is dehydrated and packed with minerals and vital joint-supporting compounds.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
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Fruit leather is made by dehydrating whole fruit.—
Kelly Burch,
Verywell Health,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Campbell, the North Carolina folk singer, describes an enervating process marked by back-and-forth exchanges and lots of waiting.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If the very successful 25-year-old Coward had been caught with a man, he could have been jailed or chemically castrated.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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Justin Bieber has had multiple stalkers, including a New Mexico man and his nephew who plotted to murder and castrate the pop singer in 2013.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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