creature

noun

crea·​ture ˈkrē-chər 

1

: something created either animate or inanimate: such as

a

: a lower animal

especially : a farm animal

b

: a human being

c

: a being of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature

creatures of fantasy

2

: one that is the servile dependent or tool of another : instrument

creatural

ˈkrē-chə-rəl 

adjective

creaturehood

ˈkrē-chər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

creatureliness

ˈkrē-chər-lē-nəs 

noun

creaturely

ˈkrē-chər-lē 

adjective

Synonyms

• baby
• being
• bird
• bod [British]
• body
• character
• cookie
• cooky
• customer
• devil
• duck
• egg
• face
• fish
• guy
• head
• human
• human being
• individual
• life
• man
• mortal
• party
• person
• personage
• scout
• slob
• sort
• soul
• specimen
• stiff
• thing
• wight

Examples of creature in a Sentence

rabbits, squirrels, and other furry creatures

Few living creatures can survive without water.

a giant hairy apelike creature

She's a creature of rare beauty.

A social creature by nature, he loves working with people.

The poor creature had no way to get home.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the game, players take on the role of planeswalkers, powerful spellcasters who summon creatures, cast spells and use artifacts to defeat their opponents. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025

The fifth movement is his funeral: a witches’ sabbath replete with monsters and creatures, with an undead version of his beloved as their ringleader. —Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025

As the handful of creature types repeat, the battles become banal. —Harold Goldberg, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

California beachgoers have been shocked to find thousands of blue, jellyfish-like creatures coating the West Coast sands. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin creātūra "act of bringing into being, something brought into being," from Latin creātus, past participle of creāre "to beget, give birth to, create entry 1" + -ūra

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing creature

• creature comfort
• creature of habit

Rhymes for creature

• bleacher
• feature
• preacher
• reacher
• teacher
• schoolteacher

Kids Definition

creature

noun

crea·​ture ˈkrē-chər 

1

: a created being

2

a

: a lower animal

b

: individual sense 2