Synonyms of petrify

petrify

verb

ˈpe-trə-ˌfī 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• undermine
• weaken
• drain
• desiccate
• exhaust
• dehydrate
• enervate
• castrate
• wear
• devitalize
• deaden
• damp
• dampen
• lobotomize
• discourage
• debilitate
• enfeeble
• sap
• geld
• wear out
• burn out
• fatigue
• daunt
• dishearten
• demoralize
• tucker (out)
• dispirit
• do in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stimulate
• energize
• enliven
• invigorate
• vitalize
• stir
• quicken
• vivify
• arouse
• rouse
• brace
• electrify
• provoke
• galvanize
• excite
• charge
• incite
• trigger
• fire
• inspire
• ferment
• lift
• inflame
• whip (up)
• instigate
• spark
• fortify
• foment
• kindle
• revive
• cheer
• boost
• regenerate
• renew
• hearten
• resurrect
• embolden
• refresh
• abet
• revitalize
• reanimate
• reactivate
• buoy
• reawaken
• rejuvenate
• resuscitate
• enflame
• recharge
• rekindle
• reenergize
• reawake

Examples of petrify in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Nor is there a state report documenting what happened at Heritage Village when a resident knocked over a woman in a wheelchair, scared employees into locking themselves in a bathroom and petrified another resident in the common area. —Sahana Jayaraman, AZCentral.com, 27 June 2023