creepy-crawly

[kree-pee-kraw-lee]

noun

plural

creepy-crawlies 

1. a creeping or crawling animal, especially an insect.

adjective

creepy-crawlier, creepy-crawliest 

1. creepy.

creepy-crawly

noun

1. a small crawling creature

adjective

1. feeling or causing a sensation as of creatures crawling on one's skin

Word History and Origins

Origin of creepy-crawly¹

First recorded in 1855–60; creep, crawl ¹, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“I surely am. I don’t much like being around a dead animal, never mind a dead person. Just thinking about it makes my skin feel creepy-crawly all over.”

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Then there was the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a winner for “Appropriate,” rocking a cicada brooch tie, a nod to one of the production’s creepy-crawly motifs.

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She also participated in his “creepy-crawly” raids, which entailed breaking into mansions in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air while the residents were asleep, then rearranging and pilfering their possessions.

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Another creepy-crawly music moment is when M3GAN sings an original song, written by Willis and Johnstone, called “Tell Me Your Dreams.”

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Finally, Trey manages to trap the creepy-crawly under a glass jar, and Smith shrieks while sliding a piece of paper between the eight-legged creature and the hardwood floor.

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