adj B2 Upper-Intermediate

petrified

Petrified (adj) means Turned into stone, or hardened like stone, usually over a very long time. Example: “The museum displayed a piece of petrified wood millions of years old.”

adj

Turned into stone, or hardened like stone, usually over a very long time.

"The museum displayed a piece of petrified wood millions of years old."

Extremely frightened, as if frozen stiff with fear.

"She was petrified of spiders and refused to go near the shed."

"He stood petrified as the car skidded toward him."

How to use petrified

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither literally turned to stone, or so scared you can't move.

Common pairings

petrified wood petrified of absolutely petrified

Word forms

more petrified comparative, most petrified superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

The museum displayed a piece of _____ wood millions of years old.

Rhymes for petrified

lied pied tied fried dried tried denied allied buried varied envied untied

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Frequently asked questions

What does “petrified” mean?

The word “petrified” means turned into stone, or hardened like stone, usually over a very long time. In plain terms, either literally turned to stone, or so scared you can't move.

How do you use “petrified” in a sentence?

Here is “petrified” used in a sentence: “The museum displayed a piece of petrified wood millions of years old.”

What part of speech is “petrified”?

“Petrified” is an adjective.

How many meanings does “petrified” have?

“Petrified” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: turned into stone, or hardened like stone, usually over a very long time.

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B2 vocabulary words