CREEPING Synonyms: 179 Similar and Opposite Words

creeping 1 of 2

adjective

ˈkrē-piŋ

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed at this creeping pace of progress we'll never have the float ready for the parade

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

creeping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of creep

as in encroaching

to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits water crept slowly over the top of the tub and onto the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in lingering

to move or act slowly that Friday afternoon we were just creeping, waiting for the bell to sound so that we could start the long weekend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crawling

to move slowly with the body close to the ground the kitten crept silently across the floor before suddenly pouncing on the mouse

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as in dragging

to move slowly the class hour seems to creep by

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples of creeping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The overall effect is one of decadence laced with a creeping sense of horror. —

Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023 As a child, she was plagued by anxiety and the creeping sense that adults, especially her mother, were keeping secrets from the kids. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2023 And yet a creeping sense of dread also suffuses the novel, as a vision of people in chains, first revealed in a mysterious nightmare-inducing sculpture, eats away at everything. —

Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2022 Then comes the creeping sense that their conversation is screwy. —

Amy Nicholson, Variety, 11 Sep. 2022 For some, once the initial shock wore off, a creeping sense of inevitability set in. —

Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 18 July 2022 This growing entanglement of the corporate and social, this creeping sense of being tracked by invisible eyes, demands an increasing sophistication about what is said and where. —

Kara Devlin, Longreads, 20 May 2022 As the film moves to the seventh day, a creeping sense of catastrophe settles. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2022 But beneath the know-it-all tweets, there is a creeping sense that the psychological distance between the masses of 401(k) investors and the billionaire marks may not be that far. —

New York Times, 9 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creeping.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.