petrify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to convert into stone or a stony substance.
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to benumb or paralyze with astonishment, horror, or other strong emotion.
I was petrified with fear.
- Synonyms:
- daze, dumbfound, immobilize
-
to make rigid or inert; harden; deaden.
The tragedy in his life petrified his emotions.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr; often passive) to convert (organic material, esp plant material) into a fossilized form by impregnation with dissolved minerals so that the original appearance is preserved
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to make or become dull, unresponsive, insensitive, etc; deaden
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(tr; often passive) to stun or daze with horror, fear, etc
Other Word Forms
- petrifiable adjective
- petrificant adjective
- petrifier noun
- unpetrifying adjective
Etymology
Origin of petrify
From the Middle French word petrifier, dating back to 1585–95. See petri-, -fy
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.
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
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
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.
