as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
groupthink and peer pressure have so petrified the thinking of the company's top brass that they haven't produced an innovative product in years
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of petrify
The body was supposedly petrified by sap, and the loggers found several gold coins dating to the late 1600s, as well as pieces of paper identifying the person as Pierre D’Artagnan.
—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
The West and Israel should be mindful over the apparent change in tempo of Iran’s uranium enrichment and be petrified of losing the wider war of non proliferation in a region unable to step back from the brink.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024
The government - the governor is petrified in Colorado.
—CBS News, 22 Sep. 2024
When North Korea tested a ballistic missile in 2009, the public was petrified at first but quickly lost interest.
—Takashi Yokota, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2012
See all Example Sentences for petrify 
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
The West and Israel should be mindful over the apparent change in tempo of Iran’s uranium enrichment and be petrified of losing the wider war of non proliferation in a region unable to step back from the brink.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024
The government - the governor is petrified in Colorado.
—CBS News, 22 Sep. 2024
When North Korea tested a ballistic missile in 2009, the public was petrified at first but quickly lost interest.
—Takashi Yokota, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2012
See all Example Sentences for petrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify
Verb
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This feels eerily similar to when Trump cut a deal with the Taliban while excluding the Afghan government—undermining their legitimacy and paving the way for disaster.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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Those errors undermined one of the best afternoons of organisation that Wolves fans have witnessed from their team in a long time.—
Steve Madeley,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after a report said sales at U.S. retailers weakened by much more last month than economists expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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His executive order, unless reversed by the courts, will encourage greater corruption in Latin America, hurting the region’s economies, weakening democratic institutions and making countries poorer.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The savvy used patronage to expand, not drain, their wealth.—
Brian Klaas,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
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Natural calamities—floods, earthquakes, droughts, landslides—have also drained resources.—
Belinda Luscombe,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The weather this year has also left abundant vegetation in the region that has desiccated in the warm, dry air.—
Umair Irfan,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
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Santa Anas are those desiccating winds that occur commonly in winter, blowing out of Nevada and Utah and into southwestern California.—
Amy Graff,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Cowboys seem to be more concerned about the possibility of cap hell than exhausting every last resource to win now.—
Jon Machota,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
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The Baltimore region has recently faced a volley of winter weather, exhausting some school systems of their snow days and leaving slippery roads behind.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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When you are dehydrated, the body’s blood is more concentrated because less water is circulating overall.—
Bryn Beeder,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2025
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Shane was recovering from a cold, and Ted was brutally dehydrated, having decided against lugging around a water bottle.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This relationship, when successful, tends to enervate mediating institutions that thwart the immediate desires of both the populist leader and the public.—
Cameron Hilditch,
National Review,
28 Feb. 2021
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The saving grace of this often enervating thriller is that Doscher grants time for his actors to build character and intimacy, and both Pinto and Odom offer warm, affectingly natural performances as two people facing the end of their world.—
Teo Bugbee,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2020
Verb
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At the end of the clip, the singers decide to castrate the ex in question with a pair of tiny scissors and even pose with sharp objects a la Edward Scissorhands.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
10 Jan. 2025
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The shelter notes that Dwayne isn’t castrated, so his new home should only have other males and/or females that have been spayed.—
TJ Macias,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near petrify
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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