petrified

American  

[pe-truh-fahyd] / ˈpɛ trəˌfaɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• half-petrified
  adjective
• semipetrified
  adjective
• unpetrified
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of petrified

petrify ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

Example Sentences

“They were petrified before arriving,” she said, “but they still came and had an incredible time.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Officials are petrified to make decisions on pitch now because of VAR.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

With “Rooster,” Lawrence, Tarses and Carell have created a more intimate dynamic centered on a father-daughter bond that has petrified a bit.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

He barely allows the petrified Boo to twitch, yet somehow, we catch a glimpse of the qualities Duvall the actor will go on to reveal: dangerous and vulnerable, mythic and man-sized, electrifyingly watchable.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

I’m sick of being on pause, of being buried and hidden, of being petrified, in both senses of the word.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson