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Prepositions after adjectives

How to use petrified with prepositions

Petrified is most commonly followed by of to mean extremely frightened. Other prepositions can appear with different meanings or sentence structures.

Quick answer

Use petrified of for fear

The usual expression is petrified of someone or something. Petrified by is also possible when focusing on the cause of fear. Petrified at, petrified in, and petrified about are much less common and usually sound unnatural for this meaning.

She is petrified of spiders.
He was petrified by the explosion.
The child looked petrified of the dark.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
petrified of + thing

Expressing intense fear

Use petrified of for fears, dangers, or people.

I am petrified of heights.
They were petrified of making a mistake.
2
petrified by + cause

Focusing on what created the fear

By emphasises the event or force causing the reaction.

Residents were petrified by the noise.
She seemed petrified by his threat.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
petrified of
He is petrified of flying.
Most common form for extreme fear.
petrified by
The crowd was petrified by the storm.
Emphasises the cause of fear.
petrified at
She looked petrified at the news.
At introduces the trigger or moment; of is still the usual complement for fears.
petrified in
He stood petrified in the doorway.
In introduces location, not the complement after petrified.
petrified about
She is petrified about the exam.
Sometimes heard, but petrified of the exam or terrified about the exam are more natural.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using about instead of of

Of is the normal preposition after petrified when describing fear.

✕ He is petrified about dogs. ✓ He is petrified of dogs.

Using at as the main complement

At can introduce a reaction point, but not the main object of fear.

✕ She is petrified at spiders. ✓ She is petrified of spiders.

Confusing location with complement

In usually describes where someone was.

✕ They were petrified in the noise. ✓ They were petrified by the noise.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She is petrified ___ snakes.
2. The villagers were petrified ___ the earthquake.
3. He stood petrified ___ the doorway.

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Frequently asked questions

Is petrified stronger than afraid?

Yes. Petrified means extremely frightened.

Can petrified describe shock instead of fear?

Yes. Someone can look petrified after sudden bad news or danger.

What is the difference between petrified of and terrified of?

Both mean very afraid. Terrified is more common in everyday speech.

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