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

In a twitch, a head tilt or a whine, Indy communicates his emotions: curious, lonely, contented, confused, fretful, desperate or petrified.

From Los Angeles Times

"And now that I'm here, I'm absolutely petrified," she laughed.

From BBC

"I was petrified with all the noise that was going on."

From BBC

The MP said women who befriended Kulsuma at the refuge were "petrified" and "grief-stricken" in the wake of her death.

From BBC

PC King said he was "petrified", while PC Mechem-Whitfield told her colleague "don't let me die here".

From BBC