creepy
Americanadjective
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informal having or causing a sensation of repulsion, horror, or fear, as of creatures crawling on the skin
-
creeping; slow-moving
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Smart glasses developed by various companies in various ways over the last 15 years or so have all eventually hit the same roadblock: They’re creepy.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
It may end up being the best show of 2026, deftly balancing laugh-out-loud comedy and legit creepy horror.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“It just feels creepy to see this image of you on a screen that looks like you but isn’t exactly you,” said Minnesota Lt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The Duffers imagined him as a creepy Mr. Rogers, so Parris incorporated a 1950s Gregory Peck-style suit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
“I’m sorry I lost my temper. I’m an ungrateful child and I’m lucky you speak to me at all. I don’t really think you’re creepy, Va-njuzu,” she added.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
He’s creepier in person than he is on television or the Internet.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2024
Every year, Halloween gets bigger, earlier and creepier.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Deep into “R.M.N.,” an anatomy of the human condition, this powerhouse of a movie gets deeper, creepier and unnervingly familiar.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
Is it just a trick of the wind, or is something creepier going on?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
The basement was immaculate, and that made it creepier for some, reason.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
But as Vijay Mehar has learned in his years as owner of the creepiest motel in Tonopah, Nev., happy clowns are not what most of his customers want.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024
Finally available in the 4K disc format, it’s easily one of the creepiest films of all time.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
The creepiest by far is “dead men’s fingers,” Decaisnea fargesii, whose pewter-blue, fingerlike fruits stand out against butter-yellow foliage and reach out to unwary visitors.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Actually, the creepiest place we went to was this Airbnb in Sedona, Arizona.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2023
First of all, the old Willis house is the creepiest place you ever saw.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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.
