1 fossilized | Definition of fossilized
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fossilized

adjective
fos·​sil·​ized | \ ˈfä-sÉ™-ËŒlÄ«zd How to pronounce fossilized (audio) \

Definition of fossilized

1 : having been changed into a fossil : subjected to fossilization fossilized wood And in 1997 he found several thousand fossilized eggs from a giant sauropod, or plant-eating dinosaur, just 120 miles north. The find included the first-known fossilized dinosaur embryos, as bits of fossilized dino-skin.— Eric Niiler
2 : old and unchanging or outmoded fossilized notions As the mountains get higher, the houses become tin-roof shacks, with yards full of fossilized appliances and ancient cars.— Elizabeth Gilbert : made firm, fixed, or rigid by the passage of time I love the living language more than the fossilized variety with its hardened meanings and set-in-stone lexicon.— Paul McFedries I know when I took photos in the past I was looking either for particularly artistic shots or ones that might become fossilized memories adorning a mantel.— Robert W. Lucky

First Known Use of fossilized

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for fossilized

fossilized

adjective
How to pronounce fossilized (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of fossilized

: having been changed into a fossil
disapproving : very old-fashioned and unlikely to change

See the full definition for fossilized in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on fossilized

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fossilized

Nglish: Translation of fossilized for Spanish Speakers

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