Synonyms for petrify

Most common

dismay · horrify · strike dumb · alarm · ossify · rigidify

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

Antonyms

reassure, calm, comfort

All antonyms of petrify →

Definitions

1. v. 1

   To immobilize with fright.

2. v. 2

   To turn to stone: to harden organic matter by permeating with water and depositing dissolved minerals.

Related words

Word family

petrifaction

Forms

Past participle

petrified
e.g. petrified → dismayed, horrified, alarmed, scared…

Example sentences

• alarm My alarm clock didn't work. That's why I was late.
• dismay To my dismay, he was caught cheating in the examination.
• horrify The announcement was intended to horrify the audience.
• harden Yanni waited for the resin to harden.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters

stun¹

5 letters

alarm², scare¹, amaze², appal

6 letters

harden², dismay², appall², ossify³

7 letters

terrify³, startle², astound², horrify³, mortify³, stupefy, lithify

8 letters

frighten², confound², paralyze³, astonish³, paralyse, bewilder³, rigidify, lapidify

9 letters

terrorize³, electrify⁴, terrorise, fossilize³, fossilise

10 letters

intimidate⁴

11 letters

dumbfounder

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (alarm² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

pétrifier

Italiano

pietrificare

Deutsch

versteinern