as in undermining
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrifying
Verb
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And this misapplication, whether through inappropriate comparisons and limited context, or a disregard for methodological boundaries, risks undermining both consumer and stakeholder trust in sustainability claims and data integrity—and misleading investments and interventions.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Oct. 2025 -
Examples of creative destruction include e-commerce disrupting retail, streaming services replacing videocassette and DVD rentals and internet advertising undermining newspaper advertising.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Specifically for Social Security, projections indicate that the retirement trust fund will be depleted in late 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausting their reserves by 2034.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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So Much Fun) and others exhausting (the YSL Slime Language comps, 2023’s Business Is Business), as well as too many studio leaks unleashed via message board accounts.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The region’s cool climate, long sunny days, and well-draining soils create the ideal conditions for producing crisp, aromatic wines with vibrant fruit flavors.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
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Parents supporting their children’s tuition can now pursue their own degrees without draining family finances.—
Jason Phillips,
Freep.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Previously the billionaire banker has warned the American economy is weakening, saying in September following a measly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that whether that weakness spills into economic contraction remains to be seen.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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The tariffs inadvertently advantage Asia and other offshore producers by weakening textile and apparel supply chains in the Western Hemisphere.—
Kimberly Glas,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
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Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Williams was remembered for wearing goggles and a knee wrap and by his intensity during those games.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Oct. 2025
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Beckham, wearing Saint Laurent peep-toe heels, a white T-shirt and check pencil skirt from her own collection, sits in a big, sunny room filled with racks of clothing and accessories samples, all the elements of her current world.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now, Sora 2 might just be another online fad, a reality-deadening distraction that people will soon tire of.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Thin sound deadening The Enabling Technology prize went to CompositeEdge GmbH and ATA Mute BV for a new kind of sound deadening.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
16 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Petrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifying. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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