Synonyms of crawling

crawling 1 of 2

adjective

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

the crawling pace of the narrative is really frustrating

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leisurely
• slow
• creeping
• dragging
• poking
• lagging
• poky
• slowing
• sluggish
• dilatory
• unhurried
• dallying
• laggard
• dillydallying
• dawdling
• snaillike
• tardy
• languid
• lounging
• snail-paced
• lethargic
• deliberate
• loitering
• ambling
• loafing
• lingering
• shuffling
• inert
• inactive
• plodding
• strolling
• measured
• decelerating
• inching
• stalling
• procrastinating
• tarrying
• heavy-footed
• slow-footed
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rapid
• rushing
• running
• flying
• lightning
• swift
• quick
• speedy
• fast
• breathless
• racing
• speeding
• hasty
• dizzy
• bolting
• ready
• fleet
• whirlwind
• brisk
• rocketing
• meteoric
• snappy
• expeditious
• scooting
• scurrying
• prompt
• hurrying
• whirling
• zipping
• scudding
• barreling
• breakneck
• accelerated
• warp-speed
• whisking
• careering
• rushed
• quickened
• hastened
• hurried

crawling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of crawl

1

as in creeping

to move slowly with the body close to the ground

the time we had to crawl through a narrow passageway from one cave to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• creeping
• sliding
• snaking
• slithering
• wriggling
• crouching
• tiptoeing
• sneaking
• squatting
• groveling
• worming
• bellying
• stealing
• inching
• edging
• skulking
• nosing

2

as in dragging

to move slowly

the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dragging
• creeping
• shuffling
• poking
• inching
• limping
• slouching
• oozing
• snailing
• creaking (along)
• plodding
• nosing
• shambling
• trudging
• tramping
• lumbering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flying
• speeding
• racing
• floating
• gliding
• sailing
• whizzing
• zipping
• tearing
• hurrying

3

as in poking

to move or act slowly

the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dragging
• poking
• delaying
• lingering
• creeping
• strolling
• playing
• shuffling
• loitering
• dawdling
• lagging
• moping
• stalling
• falling behind
• diddling
• lounging
• dropping behind
• hanging fire
• lollygagging
• marking time
• tarrying
• staggering
• dallying
• idling
• dillydallying
• dragging one's feet
• sauntering
• taking one's time
• loafing
• ambling
• inching
• shilly-shallying
• fiddling (around)
• hanging (around or out)
• lolling
• puttering (around)
• fooling around
• decelerating
• pottering (around)
• trifling
• monkeying (around)
• messing around
• plodding
• lumbering
• procrastinating
• easing
• slowing (down or up)
• temporizing
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flying
• running
• tearing
• scurrying
• scooting
• rushing
• ripping
• hurrying
• whizzing
• whirling
• racing
• speeding
• zipping
• bolting
• hastening
• dashing
• scudding
• whisking
• barreling
• darting
• coursing
• scrambling
• careering
• rocketing
• hurtling
• humping
• running
• hustling
• bowling
• stampeding
• trotting
• galloping
• sprinting
• breezing
• jogging
• accelerating
• quickening
• hotfooting (it)
• speeding (up)
• overtaking
• outrunning
• outpacing
• catching up
• outstripping
• fast-forwarding

4

as in bursting

to be copiously supplied

something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bursting
• buzzing
• humming
• bulging
• swarming
• teeming
• brimming
• abounding
• pullulating
• bustling
• bristling
• overflowing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lacking
• wanting
• needing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crawling

Verb

Introduced crawling through the Trask family’s field, her black blood spattering their rich soil like a human pesticide, Cathy personifies the series’ potent blend of dread and beauty. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026

But centering a nearly dead Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) is Kazan’s entire intention with this project, and snagging us with the image of her bloody body crawling toward the Trasks’ farmhouse is a tip of the hand toward where East of Eden is going. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

For this argument Thomasine was jailed—stuffed into a damp, stinking, deadly stone cell crawling with rats and lice—to force her to change her beliefs. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Jumping behind the steering wheel of one of the boats Nordstrom sails on feels like crawling into the cockpit of a race car rather than the cabin of an elegant yacht. — Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026

Hairpin turns, narrow gaps between boulders and trees, and clouds of dust kept us crawling most of the way up, which was fine with me. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026

Throughout the spring, there are fests crawling up both coasts and in between, too. — Norma A. Orovitz, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

The little one is crawling and starting to say his first words. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Sacramento County Health Inspectors gave a red placard to a Curtis Park doughnut shop after finding dozens of German cockroaches, including one crawling into the space behind the standing mixer. — Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026