petrify
verb (used with object)
to convert into stone or a stony substance.
was petrifying
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past progressiveof petrify.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"I didn't know what was going on. We didn't know whether he’d survived, it was so nerve wracking. It was the longest two hours of my life. It was awful; it was petrifying."
From BBC ● May 21, 2024
"It was petrifying to say goodbye to my salary, pension, benefits and career path, but I saw it as an opportunity to retrain as a menopause coach, using what I'd been through to help others."
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2024
Emily, who has multiple friends whose family members died of COVID-19 shortly after being intubated, said the moment was petrifying.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
"A lot of it was fear-based, that's how I felt at the time, it was petrifying," she said.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2022
Masson, a painter, held to a doctrine of eternal recurrence that was petrifying.
From The Valley of the Moon by Jack London
