OSSIFY Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

ossify

verb

Definition of ossify

as in to calcify

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ossify The application is old, and time has ossified it into something like an unapproachably evil Mayan relic, filled with shadowy regexes and dark magic, fit to be worshipped from afar but not trifled with. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 4 Feb. 2026 And he's taken aim at the foreign policy apparatus, describing institutions like the NSC and State Department as having been ossified and out of touch. — Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 26 Jan. 2026 This year’s awards narrative was already feeling especially ossified. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026 The world has yet to ossify into routine; reality remains at the consistency of putty. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ossify

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ossify

Verb

Their fix is to let the same model that does the reasoning also curate the knowledge, stored as human-readable notes and organized hierarchically with provenance and a lifecycle so stale plays decay rather than calcify.

— Jesse Li, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Over time, that bone started to calcify and thicken, bothering his labrums.

— Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 22 May 2026

Definition of calcify

Verb

Here, a source of primordial terror—the gaze that petrifies—is deflected by way of the highly polished shield that Perseus wields against the creature.

— Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
The first film follows a group of French high-school students who travel to Naples on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii and the bodies petrified by Vesuvius.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 May 2026

Definition of petrify

Verb

As most of the scientific books tell us, coagulating protein at lower temperatures produces more tender clumps; adding a little water or cream makes an omelet tenderer still.

— Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
If an egg cracks during boiling, vinegar can help the egg white coagulate faster, preventing it from leaking into the water.

— Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of coagulate

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ossifies

ossify

ossifying

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“Ossify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ossify. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of ossify

verb

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