View synonyms for crawly

crawly

[ kraw-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

, crawl·i·er, crawl·i·est.

that crawls; noting or describing things, as worms or insects, that crawl, especially imparting a queasy feeling; creepy.

, plural crawl·ies.

crawly

/ ˈkrɔːlɪ /

informal.
feeling or causing a sensation like creatures crawling on one's skin

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Origin of crawly¹

First recorded in 1855–60; crawl ¹ + -y ¹

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Though people often use the term “bug” to mean any creepy-crawly, the word actually belongs to a specific group of insects.

It all kind o' makes my skin go all crawly when there's somethin' projectin' around and I don't know of it.

There werent spiders, or rats, or any crawly things to lend picturesqueness to the situation.

And now comes the best part of the story, which is, of course, the "creepy-crawly" and horrible part.

There was something so peculiar about this business that, as Terry expressed it, he was "crawly all over."

Was the cellar all horrid with old papers and rats and mice and spiders and crawly things with legs?

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