petrified

[pe-truh-fahyd]

adjective

1. having been numbed or paralyzed with astonishment, horror, or other strong emotion.

   The victim arrived at the shelter petrified and penniless, lacking the documents needed to apply for aid.

2. having been turned to stone or a stony substance.

   Among the fossils found here are petrified skeletons of dinosaurs dating back 65 million years.

3. having been made rigid or inert; hardened.

   The 20-year-old snack cake—still in its original packaging—is quite petrified; it makes a pleasant thunking sound when I knock it against the desk.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of petrify.

Other Word Forms

• half-petrified adjective
• semipetrified adjective
• unpetrified adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of petrified¹

petrify ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Alphabet’s perceived “AI comeback” with its TPUs and improved Gemini AI models has led some investors to be “petrified that Alphabet will win the AI war,” Melius analyst Ben Reitzes said in a Monday note.

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“Some investors are petrified that Alphabet will win the AI war due to huge improvements in its Gemini model and ongoing benefits from its custom TPU chip,” said Ben Reitzes, tech strategist at Melius Research.

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It lowered its head until it was eye to eye with the petrified governess.

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"I was having nightmares, this recurring nightmare, and would wake up petrified," Benn said.

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Riley revealed: "I'm petrified of rats, confined spaces and the dark."

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