Definition

1. Noun:
   • Feelings of dislike and anxiety: An informal term for a feeling of fear, disgust, or nervousness, often caused by the thought or presence of small, crawling creatures like insects or spiders. It describes a physical sensation of unease or revulsion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Watching the spiders gave me the creepy-crawlies. (The sight of the spiders caused a feeling of disgust and nervousness in me.)
  • Just thinking about bugs makes him get the creepy-crawlies. (The mere thought of insects makes him feel uneasy and anxious.)
  • The dark, damp basement always gives me the creepy-crawlies. (The dark, damp basement consistently causes a feeling of fear and discomfort in me.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost always used with the definite article "the" in the phrase "the creepy-crawlies".
  • She got the creepy-crawlies from the centipede in the sink.
• It can be used to describe a reaction to things other than actual insects, such as unsettling situations or textures.
  • That slimy texture gives me the creepy-crawlies.

Variants and Related Words

• Creepy-crawly (noun, singular): Can refer to a single small, crawling creature that causes such feelings.
  • There's a creepy-crawly on your shoulder!
• Creepy (adjective): Causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease.
  • That old house is really creepy.
• Crawly (adjective, informal): Having a sensation as if insects are crawling on the skin.
  • I feel all crawly after walking through those bushes.

Synonyms

• The heebie-jeebies: A very similar informal term for a feeling of nervousness or fear.
• The willies: Another informal synonym for a feeling of nervous discomfort or fear.
• Goosebumps: Refers to the physical reaction (raised bumps on the skin) often associated with fear, cold, or excitement.
• Revulsion: A strong feeling of disgust.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To give someone the creeps: To cause someone to feel fear, disgust, or unease. This is a closely related and more common idiom.
  • That strange noise gives me the creeps.
• To make someone's skin crawl: To cause someone to feel extreme disgust or fear.
  • His creepy smile made my skin crawl.

Noun

1. feelings of dislike and anxiety
   • the cave gave me the creepy-crawlies