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
Eric Niiler2
: 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
Elizabeth GilbertI love the living language more than the fossilized variety with its hardened meanings and set-in-stone lexicon.—Paul McFedries
Paul McFedriesI 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
Robert W. LuckyExamples of fossilized in a Sentence
fossilized notions about the proper place of women in society
Recent Examples on the Web
The 66 fossilized footprints, which range in size from about 5 centimeters to 20 centimeters (about 2 to 8 inches) in length, reveal that the dinosaurs had likely been crossing a river or going up and down the length of a river, Romilio said.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
The 66 fossilized footprints were left by 47 individual dinosaurs during the early Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago in a coal-mining region in Queensland called the Callide Basin.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
In a cave in northern Spain, researchers have discovered pieces of a fossilized face belonging to an ancient human ancestor — the oldest human fossil ever found in Western Europe.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Its reputation as a ruthless apex predator is well-established; fossilized whale bones bear deep Megalodon tooth marks, providing clear evidence of their feeding habits, reinforcing the idea that Megalodon sat at the top of the marine food chain.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
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Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
The 66 fossilized footprints were left by 47 individual dinosaurs during the early Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago in a coal-mining region in Queensland called the Callide Basin.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
In a cave in northern Spain, researchers have discovered pieces of a fossilized face belonging to an ancient human ancestor — the oldest human fossil ever found in Western Europe.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Its reputation as a ruthless apex predator is well-established; fossilized whale bones bear deep Megalodon tooth marks, providing clear evidence of their feeding habits, reinforcing the idea that Megalodon sat at the top of the marine food chain.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fossilized
Cite this Entry
“Fossilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fossilized. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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