1
be petrified of sth
作形容词，表示“极度恐惧的”，语气比“害怕”更强；后接 of 引出恐惧的对象。
She is petrified of flying.
她非常害怕坐飞机。
吓呆的；目瞪口呆的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
吓呆的；目瞪口呆的
very frightened, especially so that you cannot move or think
She is petrified of flying.
她非常害怕坐飞机。
经历了石化过程(变成石头物质)的；变成石头的。
Having undergone the process of petrification (transformation into a stony substance); turned to stone.
极度害怕的。
Extremely afraid.
When the dog started barking loudly, the little girl stood petrified in the middle of the street.
当狗开始大声吠叫时，小女孩站在街中间吓得呆住了。
He was so petrified of flying that he always took the train instead.
他非常害怕坐飞机，所以总是改乘火车。
She felt petrified when she heard strange noises outside her tent at night.
夜里听到帐篷外有奇怪的声音时，她吓得不知所措。
作形容词，表示“极度恐惧的”，语气比“害怕”更强；后接 of 引出恐惧的对象。
She is petrified of flying.
她非常害怕坐飞机。
用 by 引出令人恐惧的具体事物或事件，相当于“被……吓呆”。
The audience was petrified by the sudden scream.
观众被突然的尖叫声吓呆了。
that 从句说明恐惧的具体内容，口语中常见。
She was petrified that she might miss the deadline.
她非常害怕自己会错过截止日期。
此处 petrified 是动词 petrify 的过去式，主语是令人恐惧的事物，宾语是人。
The ghost story petrified the campers.
那个鬼故事把露营者吓得魂不附体。
Not this
She was petrified at snakes.
Use this
She was petrified of snakes.
“petrified”表示“惧怕某物”时，固定搭配介词“of”，类似“afraid of”；用“at”是受汉语“对……感到害怕”的影响，但英语中没有“petrified at”这一搭配。
Not this
I petrified when I saw the big dog.
Use this
I was petrified when I saw the big dog.
“petrified”是形容词（“吓呆的”），不是动词，不能直接作谓语；必须加系动词“be”或“become”。汉语形容词可直接作谓语，导致漏掉“was”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
对……极其恐惧
She is petrified of spiders.
她非常怕蜘蛛。
吓得呆若木鸡
He stood petrified with fear.
他吓得呆若木鸡地站在那里。
极度惊恐的
I was absolutely petrified during the storm.
暴风雨期间我吓得要命。
惊恐的表情
She had a petrified look on her face.
她脸上露出惊恐的表情。
吓得一动不动
The rabbit was petrified to the spot.
那只兔子吓得呆在原地一动不动。
吓得目瞪口呆
She was petrified with fear when she heard the loud crash.
她听到一声巨响时吓得目瞪口呆。
对某事极度恐惧
He is petrified of spiders and refuses to enter the basement.
他极度害怕蜘蛛，拒绝进入地下室。
连自己的影子都怕；极其胆小
After the burglary, she was petrified of her own shadow.
入室盗窃发生后，她连自己的影子都怕。
Use petrified naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
把 petrified 记成“petri + fied”：想象自己吓得像石头一样僵住，石化＝惊呆。
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常口语、书面叙事 petrified 作形容词时，通常表示‘惊呆的、吓呆的’，多用于描述人因极度恐惧而愣住或不知所措。它属于比较常见的中性表达，口语和一般书面语中都可以用，正式程度不高不低。
These words share the spelling ending -ified and a similar final /-faɪd/ sound, but none is a perfect rhyme with petrified /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ because stress and the following consonant differ (e.g., terrified /ˈterɪfaɪd/). Use them for the spelling pattern, not exact pronunciation.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.