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View synonyms for petrified

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 ( def ).
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Other Words From

  • half-pet·ri·fied adjective
  • sem·i·pet·ri·fied adjective
  • un·pet·ri·fied adjective
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Word History and Origins

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Example Sentences

Since most people would likely be petrified if they discovered their partner was a werewolf, this was certainly a big milestone in their relationship and one of the most romantic gestures on Teen Wolf.

A sample of more than 5,000 petrified bits of flora from before, during, and after the PETM shows an uptick in the amount and diversity of insect damage.

In the park, you drive through the wildlife haven of Lamar Valley—wolf country—and you can hike Specimen Ridge Trail through a petrified forest to a glorious view of Mount Washburn and miles of meadows.

Greg Francek thought he was looking at a piece of petrified wood.

Her mother described her as “petrified” and said, “I vividly remember that, being in the bathroom.”

I was petrified, and it left me wondering, “Do I give him this direction?”

A petrified grimace wrinkles the white clay adorning her face.

It petrified me as a young gay kid in Montana, growing up playing tennis.

I was exhausted and the others were petrified… We all swore that it was OK.

I opened my eyes to see the room full of soldiers, my sisters petrified.

Her expression was still petrified, except that she might have had the scent of blood in her slightly dilating nostrils.

But Mafuta, instead of taking this advice, suddenly stood stock still, as if he had been petrified!

Sarah moved among them with a distracted air; she seemed, indeed, as if petrified with grief.

I suppose the face will retain that petrified laugh until the corpse turns to dust.

Griffith stood petrified a moment; and I don't think his intellects were even yet quite clear enough to take it all in at once.

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petrifactionPetrified Forest