Synonyms of creeping

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

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

creeping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of creep

1

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

• encroaching
• inching
• invading
• sneaking
• worming
• snaking
• impinging
• intruding
• entrenching
• overshooting
• infringing
• overstepping
• overreaching
• overrunning
• overpassing

2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

3

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

4

as in dragging

to move slowly

the class hour seems to creep by

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of creeping

Adjective

The play depends on the creeping eeriness of thinking your place of comfort has been corrupted and undercut by evil. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

The warmth of the film—shot on location in Positano, Italy—only adds to its creeping, sexy menace. — Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026

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

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

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

Verb

Gusts of more than 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks with 40 to 50 mph gusts creeping toward the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina and southern Virginia. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Graduate unemployment is at 23 percent, white-collar job growth has slowed to a creeping one percent this year, and nearly a quarter of Indians between the ages of 15 and 29 are not in employment, education, or training programs. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

This time of the year tends to fill up the calendar fast, with the holidays creeping closer and the daylight slipping away earlier each week. — Danielle Bouchard, Martha Stewart, 15 Oct. 2026

Yep, there are more and more signs creeping in by the election cycle. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Carr takes a beat to scan the field, no doubt noticing three corners in press and an extra safety creeping toward the line. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

But there was something else that was creeping into his head. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

This is why the sameness creeping into corporate communications right now bothers me more than the question of whether AI can write a good press release. — Amanda Simonian, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The onset of rot is creeping closer and the meat may even begin to stink. — Jack Hennessy, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026