Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Causing a sensation as of things crawling on your skin: Describes something that produces a feeling of fear, disgust, or unease, often associated with shivers or goosebumps.
   • Eerie or frightening: Can describe something that is unsettling in a strange or supernatural way.

2. Noun:

   • An animal that creeps or crawls: Refers to small creatures, typically invertebrates like insects, spiders, or worms, that move close to the ground.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The abandoned house had a creepy-crawly atmosphere.
  • Listening to that ghost story gave me a creepy-crawly feeling.

• Noun:

  • The garden is full of creepy-crawlies after the rain.
  • Some people are afraid of creepy-crawlies like spiders and centipedes.

Advanced Usage

• The adjective form is often used to describe atmospheres, stories, or physical sensations that induce a visceral reaction of fear or disgust.
• The noun form is informal and often used by children or in casual conversation to refer to small, crawling animals, especially those perceived as unpleasant.

Variants and Related Words

• Creepy (adj): Causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease. (e.g., )
• Crawly (adj): An informal variant emphasizing the sensation of things moving on the skin. (e.g., )

Synonyms

• Adjective: Eerie, spooky, chilling, unnerving, hair-raising.
• Noun: Bug, insect, pest, critter (informal).

Related Phrases

• Give someone the creeps: To cause someone to feel fear or disgust.
  • That old portrait really gives me the creeps.
• Make one's skin crawl: To cause a strong feeling of disgust or fear.
  • The sight of the swarm made my skin crawl.

Adjective

1. causing a sensation as of things crawling on your skin
   • a creepy story
   • I had a creepy-crawly feeling

Noun

1. an animal that creeps or crawls (such as worms or spiders or insects)