petrified
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.
the simple past tense and past participle of petrify.
Origin of petrified
1Other words from petrified
- half-pet·ri·fied, adjective
- sem·i·pet·ri·fied, adjective
- un·pet·ri·fied, adjective
Words Nearby petrified
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use petrified in a sentence
Since most people would likely be petrified if they discovered their partner was a werewolf, this was certainly a big milestone in their relationship and one of the most romantic gestures on Teen Wolf.
Teen Wolf: 8 Most Romantic Allison Argent Quotes | noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) | October 7, 2021 | TechCrunchA sample of more than 5,000 petrified bits of flora from before, during, and after the PETM shows an uptick in the amount and diversity of insect damage.
An ancient era of global warming could hint at our scorching future | Rachel Feltman | August 16, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIn the park, you drive through the wildlife haven of Lamar Valley—wolf country—and you can hike Specimen Ridge Trail through a petrified forest to a glorious view of Mount Washburn and miles of meadows.
Greg Francek thought he was looking at a piece of petrified wood.
‘Giant treasure trove’ of fossils may give a better picture of Miocene epoch about 10 million years ago | Erin Blakemore | May 30, 2021 | Washington PostHer mother described her as “petrified” and said, “I vividly remember that, being in the bathroom.”
Sarah Fuller made history. Her parents understand why her moment matters. | Chuck Culpepper | December 3, 2020 | Washington Post
I was petrified, and it left me wondering, “Do I give him this direction?”
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’ | Marlow Stern | July 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA petrified grimace wrinkles the white clay adorning her face.
It petrified me as a young gay kid in Montana, growing up playing tennis.
I was exhausted and the others were petrified… We all swore that it was OK.
I opened my eyes to see the room full of soldiers, my sisters petrified.
Prominent Palestinian-American Community Activist Arrested | Anna Lekas Miller | November 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTHer expression was still petrified, except that she might have had the scent of blood in her slightly dilating nostrils.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonBut Mafuta, instead of taking this advice, suddenly stood stock still, as if he had been petrified!
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneSarah moved among them with a distracted air; she seemed, indeed, as if petrified with grief.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange KiellandI suppose the face will retain that petrified laugh until the corpse turns to dust.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)Griffith stood petrified a moment; and I don't think his intellects were even yet quite clear enough to take it all in at once.
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