fossilized

adjective

fos·​sil·​ized ˈfä-sə-ˌlīzd 

1

: having been changed into a fossil : subjected to fossilization

fossilized wood

And in 1997 he found several thousand fossilized eggs from a giant sauropod, or plant-eating dinosaur, just 120 miles north. The find included the first-known fossilized dinosaur embryos, as bits of fossilized dino-skin.

—Eric Niiler

2

: old and unchanging or outmoded

fossilized notions

As the mountains get higher, the houses become tin-roof shacks, with yards full of fossilized appliances and ancient cars.

—Elizabeth Gilbert

: made firm, fixed, or rigid by the passage of time

I love the living language more than the fossilized variety with its hardened meanings and set-in-stone lexicon.

—Paul McFedries

I know when I took photos in the past I was looking either for particularly artistic shots or ones that might become fossilized memories adorning a mantel.

—Robert W. Lucky

Synonyms

• antiquated
• archaic
• dated
• démodé
• demoded
• kaput
• kaputt
• medieval
• mediaeval
• moribund
• mossy
• moth-eaten
• neolithic
• Noachian
• obsolete
• out-of-date
• outdated
• outmoded
• outworn
• passé
• prehistoric
• prehistorical
• rusty
• Stone Age
• superannuated

Examples of fossilized in a Sentence

fossilized notions about the proper place of women in society

Recent Examples on the Web

Fishing net captures a mystery A fossilized jaw bone caught by fishermen off the coast of Taiwan in 2010 has mystified scientists for over a decade. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025

For millennia, their fossilized bones remained hidden inside layers of rock—until now. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025

Analyzing isotopes in the fossilized upper jaw of a horse specimen also allowed the researchers to conclude that the region was temperate and had seasonal variability. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025

For nearly two centuries, its true identity eluded scientists, as fossilized remains revealed a structure that defied classification. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fossilized

• acclimatized
• actualized
• aerosolized
• alphabetized
• aluminized
• anaesthetized
• anesthetized
• annualized
• antagonized
• apologised
• apologized
• capitalised