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.
The Painted Desert portion of Petrified Forest National Park includes broad vistas and richly varied mineral colors.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
"Since starting fieldwork at Petrified Forest in 2014, we have collected over 3,000 fossils from the Sonselasuchus bonebed, and it doesn't seem to show any signs of petering out," Professor Sidor states.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
The site of this discovery is a fossil bed in a desert landscape of ancient rock in the Petrified Forest National Park.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025
“Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes” emphasizes how the iconic star cemented his screen image by playing a heavy in “The Petrified Forest” in 1936.
From Salon • Nov. 23, 2024
Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn’t Petrified.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
