petrified
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
having been turned to stone or a stony substance.
Among the fossils found here are petrified skeletons of dinosaurs dating back 65 million years.
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of petrified
Explanation
If you've ever felt so terrified you couldn't move, you've been petrified. Someone who's petrified of public speaking will do anything they possibly can to avoid giving a speech. Petrified is from the French pétrifier, "change into stone," and the Latin root petra, "rock or crag." Its earliest definition was "converted into a stony substance," and this literal meaning describes certain rocky fossils that developed from softer organic matter, like wood. The figurative use, for a person who's so scared it seems like they're made of stone, is attributed from the 18th century.
Vocabulary lists containing petrified
Wonder
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Woodsong
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Elf Dog and Owl Head
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years,” Krumholtz said in a post on Threads, per Deadline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Love Island star and campaigner said Bear's online presence left her "feeling petrified" and she feared for her safety, in a statement read to Chelmsford Crown Court.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I don’t think I’d be doing my job right if I wasn’t petrified every time I put a film out.”
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
“They were petrified before arriving,” she said, “but they still came and had an incredible time.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Shifa was staring at him petrified, like a seer caught on a line.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
