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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But Taylor’s remarks quickly drew criticism from civil liberties advocates and media scholars, who said his comments risked undermining public safety and the public’s right to document police activity.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026 -
Financial extremism of any kind could be undermining an alliance.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gentry had both of those things, but he is headed to the NFL after exhausting his eligibility.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
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Productivity improvements—many already visible—are sufficient to support that level of prosperity without exhausting the planet.—
Chris Bradley,
Fortune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Clay-heavy soils under many Michigan roads, especially around Metro Detroit, trap moisture rather than draining it.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Public schools in Florida are funded on a per-student basis, and schools that operate at about half capacity or less typically do not generate enough money to be self-supporting, instead draining the district’s budget.—
Steven Walker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Milk, butter and cheese prices on the wholesale market and at grocery stores have decreased slightly due to oversupply and weakening consumer demand.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
9 Jan. 2026
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This suggests consumers enter 2026 with continuing concerns over high prices and weakening labor market conditions.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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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Some people even shared old photos of Indigenous peoples wearing the hoods, noting that the originators of the design kept the fur outward to break cold wind and trap snow.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Chavez posted a photo of Gregory Bovino walking down 33rd Street and Portland Avenue, flanked by three agents wearing masks.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both nationally and in Minnesota , there has been a shift away from intelligent discussion of public policy to endless partisan warfare with a deadening impact on the public.—
Arne Carlson,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
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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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Cite this Entry
“Petrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifying. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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