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
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
Strange
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Strange
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Strange
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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.
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
But then this creepy production says much more about the power directors have, particularly in Germany, to abuse helpless operas than the work’s central theme: the power of music to overcome even death.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Sources familiar with the incident told The Times that Sprouse tackled a man on the lawn near his home after his wife, Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Palvin, spotted “the creepy guy.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
Not to be creepy about it or anything.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
I can circle back to get some clarity on what’s going on with that creepy banes-of-the-sea thing.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
