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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Recent Examples of petrify
People were petrified of being rendered obsolete and losing their jobs.
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Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Danvers is a person that has absolutely frozen herself, petrified herself, hardened herself.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
It was famously said to have been rated R simply for being so scary, and James Wan petrifies us with little more than hands clapping.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 6 Sep. 2023
Even so, our country’s asphalt limbs have mostly ceased to elongate, petrified into something like their eternal shape.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for petrify 
Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Danvers is a person that has absolutely frozen herself, petrified herself, hardened herself.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
It was famously said to have been rated R simply for being so scary, and James Wan petrifies us with little more than hands clapping.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 6 Sep. 2023
Even so, our country’s asphalt limbs have mostly ceased to elongate, petrified into something like their eternal shape.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for petrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrify
Verb
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With polls closing Tuesday evening, officials are warning that foreign adversaries will likely spread false stories about election hacks to undermine trust in the voting process.Sam Sabin, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
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Since Musk purchased Twitter, that policy no longer explicitly bans content that seeks to undermine the outcome of an election.Jenn Brice, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Such a test would be a sign of China’s weakening influence over Pyongyang and could spur Seoul to try to acquire nuclear weapons of its own—a position that both South Korea and the United States officially oppose but is gaining traction in Western policy circles.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
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With its climate leadership perceived to be weakening, New Zealand may get a cooler reception at COP than in previous years, especially from Pacific Island nations, Cooper said.Mahalia Dobson, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But harassment campaigns and lawsuits that drain companies of time, money, resources and trust are much easier and can be just as punitive.Sara Fischer, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
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Independent of the probable timeline for making repairs to Tropicana Field, it can't be used as an outdoor venue either, because the stadium was not engineered to drain rainwater away from the field.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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From the very first frame of a new episode of Hot Ones Versus, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor is gasping for breath from behind his trademark mask, which looks like either a desiccating corpse or a wasp’s nest with dreadlocks.Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
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Scientists have reported feeling shock and loss with each consecutive return to the Great Barrier Reef, as new expanses of coral bleach and desiccate.Eve Andrews, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Retirees would also be facing a bigger benefit cut, up to 33% of their monthly checks rather than the 23% currently forecast, when the trust fund is exhausted, the group estimates.Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
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Make people exhausted, confused, thinking the political system doesn’t work anymore.Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Summary Drinking tea that contains caffeine, particularly in moderation, likely isn't dehydrating.Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2024
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Chong dehydrates this sour black rice, grinds it into a powder, and sprinkles it atop a drink called Kuro Koji, adding a dramatic jet-black top to the cocktail of purple sweet potato, Okinawan rice distillate, sweet sake, shikuwasa, and koregusu.Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024
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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In 1952, Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts, a criminal offense at the time, and chose to be chemically castrated instead of serving prison time.Carlie Porterfield, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
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According to the memorandum and witness testimony, Clark attempted to castrate herself in her cell.Kaitlyn Pohly, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near petrify
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrify. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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