PETRIFYING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

petrifying

verb

Definition of petrifying

present participle of petrify

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrifying

Verb

Both fringe and mainstream conservatives have portrayed Indian Americans as stealing high-paying tech jobs from white workers and undermining American unity.

— Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026
Chapek made Iger a starring character in his own memoir, blaming him for undermining his leadership after selecting him for the top job.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of undermining

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
On the third bike was Jenny Brookes, Zero's senior global brand manager, who rode a standard DSR/X adventure bike for approximately 239 miles (384 km) before exhausting its battery.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhausting

Verb

The most famous killing up to that point — of Janet Leigh in Psycho — showed nothing more than a modest pool of black-and-white blood draining in a bathtub.

— Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Irvine Lake began draining this morning ahead of the El Niño and to upgrade the 93-year-old reservoir.

— Rina Nakano, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of draining

Verb

Electing more allies could give either camp an edge in shaping AI policy in the next Congress, even as the feud risks weakening Silicon Valley's clout.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Today, despite low unemployment and easing inflation, frustration over everyday expenses is weighing on voter’s perception of the economy — and weakening Lula’s support.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakening

Verb

Such flat, enervating filmmaking makes the whole endeavor a shockingly cynical affair.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of enervating

Verb

Speaking from experience, the right footwear can transform an uncomfortable ensemble into something actually functional, warm, and totally worth wearing.

— Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026
Moore, who stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds, was last seen on security camera footage inside the Aisle 1 store, wearing a long-sleeve green polo shirt and black shorts.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of wearing

Verb

Inside the cabin, extensive additional sound deadening in the doors, trunk and wheel arches means phone calls and passenger conversations are entirely effortless at highway speeds.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of deadening

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
Suddenly, pest populations are large enough to make a meaningful impact, and one too many afternoons of 100+ degree weather have begun desiccating leaves.

— Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of desiccating

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petrify

petrifying

pets

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“Petrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifying. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of petrifying

verb

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