adjective
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informal having or causing a sensation of repulsion, horror, or fear, as of creatures crawling on the skin
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creeping; slow-moving
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of creepy
Explanation
Something is creepy if it feels like tiny things are crawling on you. The sensation of a spider on your arm is creepy. Ladybugs are pretty, but it still feels creepy when they crawl across your hand. Another kind of creepy feeling is something that gives you an unpleasant chill, like a creepy ghost story or the creepy sound of footsteps in your attic at night. The earliest meaning of creepy was simply "characterized by creeping," so in the 18th century you'd be creepy if you were simply tip-toeing quietly through your house.
Vocabulary lists containing creepy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A mother who sees other women as her direct competition isn’t just creepy; she’s dangerous — and the fact that, in this case, the other women are preteen girls makes it even worse.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
Originating as a creepy shared story told online by ordinary internet users, the "Backrooms" universe erupts into American cinemas on Friday with a film directed by star YouTuber Kane Parsons.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
Patterson says: "Individual brand mascots will begin to talk to us on a one-to-one level and try to persuade us to do things. It's a bit creepy, isn't it?"
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Plus sundry hallucinations, bad dreams, possession, dark spaces, creepy noises, fraught family relations — and, as with so many horror stories, a bad thing in the past bringing down the future.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
It was creepy, and even after two years, Moss still felt unnerved by him.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
