creepy-crawly

1 of 2

noun

ˈkrē-pē-ˈkrȯ-lē 

variants or creepy crawly or less commonly creepy crawler or creepy-crawler

ˈkrē-pē-ˈkrȯ-lər 

plural creepy-crawlies or creepy crawlies also creepy crawlers or creepy-crawlers

informal : an organism (such as a spider, beetle, or cockroach) that typically crawls along close to or on the ground and is often considered unwanted or unpleasant

… despite … repeated, aggressive spraying of his apartment's every recess, the silverfish, centipedes and assorted creepy-crawlies that lived in them all continued to thrive and multiply.

—Richard Russo

Veronica wasn't afraid of the creepy crawly, she was afraid of somehow harming it.

—Doug MacCash

He looked as if he'd turned over a stone and found creepy-crawlies underneath.

—Dick Francis

… gardeners and community members are coming across a creepy crawler now more than ever thanks to the Atlantic storm season. According to Virginia Tech, storms in the Atlantic have pushed fall armyworms … north into Virginia.

—Jazmine Otey

creepy-crawly

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly creepy crawly

1

: of, relating to, or being a creepy-crawly

creepy-crawly spiders

Springtime means creepy-crawly season, but that doesn't mean we have to take the insect invasion lying down.

—Kurt Bresswein

The Piney Run Park & Nature Center also contributed creepy crawly critters to the recreation day.

—Thomas Goodwin Smith

2

: causing an uncomfortable or distressing sensation : giving someone the creeps (see creep entry 2 sense 2)

creepy-crawly music

… what if you're locked in the mall in the creepy-crawly dark tonight?

—Lauren Terry

In this neurological condition, you experience uncomfortable creepy-crawly feelings in the legs and sometimes arms …

—Andrew Weil

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1857, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 2