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. )

Example Sentences

Then just 18 and heavily pregnant, Hazel described being "petrified" when she discovered what happened to her baby sister.

From BBC

"It was almost like she sort of was running the place, she was very well educated and very sure of herself. I was just petrified of her."

From BBC

He was petrified of water, and he was greedy when it came to sweets.

From Literature

If I had been any less shocked, I would have turned around and locked the stall door, but I was petrified.

From Literature

"I had a three-year-old and a six-year-old at the time. My first thought wasn't about me, it was about them. I was completely petrified for them," the now-41-year-old said.

From BBC