as in undermining
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petrifying
Verb
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Caracas insists the buildup is part of a broader campaign directed at undermining President Nicolás Maduro’s government.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025 -
By targeting us – the creators who give voice to diverse narratives and foster dialogue – these signatories are undermining their own cause and attempting to silence us.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The second stage was able to regain attitude control and managed to climb to a peak altitude of 198 miles (320 kilometers) before exhausting its fuel.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Lula was imprisoned in 2018, but he was released in November 2019 after the Supreme Court ruled that defendants can’t be jailed before exhausting appeal options.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car dependency forces millions to borrow for an asset that immediately loses value, draining their wealth while binding them to a lifestyle with no real exit.—
Henrietta Moore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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We are retired, and this is draining us.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the central bank is now shifting focus to a weakening labor market, as job growth has slowed in recent months.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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Amodei’s comments come as recent data points to a labor market that is weakening quicker than expected.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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What To Know The medical examiner's office said, when the remains were found, that the girl was wearing a tube top, black leggings, stud earrings and a yellow bracelet.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Pam shows her more photos, one of which features a young Cipher wearing a white medical coat and holding baby Marie.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
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Horror of this scale has the effect of deadening words, making stories of the most unimaginable violence land with a dull thud.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Petrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petrifying. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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