petrifying
adjective
pet·ri·fy·ing
ˈpe-trə-ˌfī-iŋ 
: overwhelmingly frightening
"We have not made one decision on what to do yet. It's worse than scary. It's absolutely petrifying."—
Chris Spirou
Chris SpirouWhat may be a petrifying experience for a child might seem trivial for you.—The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah)
The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah)
petrifyingly
adverb
a petrifyingly dangerous situation
Examples of petrifying in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The polished feel swayed me (though in reality, this kind of swishy styling is a petrifying daily task for someone who barely washes her hair every 10 days).
—Keeks Reid, refinery29.com, 6 Feb. 2024
Those included raging hormones, backup underwear, and petrifying prenatal tests involving giant needles.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024
Democrats call it 'petrifying' Senate Democrats, however, were quick to admonish the video.
—Justin Gomez, ABC News, 21 May 2024
Take, for instance, Edward Scissorhands (1990), where a humanoid with scissors for hands proves to be more pure than petrifying.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
Amid the high stakes of a health crisis, the wall of language can make a scary situation downright petrifying.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Keeks Reid, refinery29.com, 6 Feb. 2024
Those included raging hormones, backup underwear, and petrifying prenatal tests involving giant needles.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 31 May 2024
Democrats call it 'petrifying' Senate Democrats, however, were quick to admonish the video.
—Justin Gomez, ABC News, 21 May 2024
Take, for instance, Edward Scissorhands (1990), where a humanoid with scissors for hands proves to be more pure than petrifying.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
Amid the high stakes of a health crisis, the wall of language can make a scary situation downright petrifying.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near petrifying
Cite this Entry
“Petrifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrifying. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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