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

Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

That has sent oil prices creeping higher for weeks, edging closer to $100 a barrel. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

His football endurance might still be coming along; his football instincts might still be creeping back; his contact-balance is still a skill that needs to be strengthened after years of atrophy. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026

Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Despite making changes last fall to help block adults from messaging unknown children, Roblox is still failing to stop adults from creeping on kids in other ways, Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said on Thursday. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

Shauna is also feared by Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Misty (Christina Ricci), who probably should be, what with Shauna journaling about how the thrill of the wilderness has been creeping back into her life. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026

The yield on the 30-year Treasury is creeping higher this morning. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

So many people who influence public opinion in the United States do so in a damaging and unproductive way because the problem of creeping authoritarianism doesn’t affect them personally. — Sarah Batcha, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026