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

Insects crawling around three-compartment sink and hand wash sink in kitchen. — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026

Pack a blackout sleep mask just in case There’s nothing worse than finally crawling into your hotel bed after a long travel day, only to discover that the curtains don’t fully close and a streetlight is shining directly onto your pillow. — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026

However, a new type of gut-crawling worm being designed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), may actually be here to help. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026

Lawsuits tied to player eligibility are crawling through courts across the country. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

On thinner material, that gives you a fighting chance at keeping heat and warpage under control without crawling along at a miserable pace. — New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026

Prior to then, traffic was seen crawling on the eastbound side of the bridge heading into the city. — Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

The other new release is a dungeon-crawling RPG called Gloom Gate. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026