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:
Prince Harry said in a witness statement this was "creepy" and he did not know how the newspaper could have obtained the information about the couple's separate whereabouts.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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
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
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
Otto had the creepy sensation that, on a normal day, they could’ve knocked on any door and met a version of Petey and Petey’s mom.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Every year, Halloween gets bigger, earlier and creepier.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Keith’s Christopher, creepier and a bit clumsier, made me want to call campus security from the theater lobby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
Which, when you think about it, could be a lot creepier than a few extra fingers.
From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
But I've learned so much from that book, I feel like the second one is coming out creepier from the beginning.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2023
Something about this place seemed even creepier than the palace basement in Split.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
A third person tweeted: “I can never un-hear this. It is fitting for Halloween as it’s one of the creepiest cringy things I’ve ever seen.”
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 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
Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but I got the creepiest feeling she was being drawn straight toward Rachel.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
