fossilized
adjective
fos·sil·ized
ˈfä-sə-ˌlīzd 
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
Eric Niiler2
: 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
Elizabeth GilbertI love the living language more than the fossilized variety with its hardened meanings and set-in-stone lexicon.—Paul McFedries
Paul McFedriesI 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
Robert W. LuckyExamples of fossilized in a Sentence
fossilized notions about the proper place of women in society
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2022, researchers in northeast Mississippi unearthed a fossilized skeleton—including the skull—that had belonged to a mosasaur that lived more than 80 million years ago.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Finding a plesiosaur fossil is rare compared to other fossilized marine reptiles from that time, like ichthyosaurs.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Today, the legacy of the giant moa endures through its fossilized bones and the stories preserved in Māori oral tradition.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fossilized
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Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Finding a plesiosaur fossil is rare compared to other fossilized marine reptiles from that time, like ichthyosaurs.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Today, the legacy of the giant moa endures through its fossilized bones and the stories preserved in Māori oral tradition.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fossilized
Cite this Entry
“Fossilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fossilized. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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