creepy

adjective

ˈkrē-pē How to pronounce creepy (audio)
Definition of creepynext
1
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic a fascinating but creepy stage show by an offbeat magician

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a creepy aura about the abandoned farmhouse—as though something horrific had happened there

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of creepy Next came an exhibition around a creepy Howdy Doody-ish figure that met countless violent fates while being cast about mechanistically on chains in 2016. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Surveillance footage captured the brief window of time when a masked man wearing a creepy Chucky-style Halloween mask terrorized multiple people in downtown Philadelphia. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 As the misfits who make up Widow’s Bay react matter-of-factly to some of the creepy and strange goings-on around them, at the center of it all is Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 There’s also a quick flash of a creepy figure wearing a fluffy rabbit mask while holding a gun and standing next to a bridge with a skull painted on it. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for creepy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creepy
  1. eerie
  2. disturbing
  3. haunting
  4. uneasy
  5. unsettling
  6. tense
  7. nervous
  8. anxious
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, moviegoers took to social media to share snaps of themselves waiting in line for hours outside their local cineplexes, hoping to score IMAX 70mm tickets for the eerie Frank Herbert adaptation.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • And thanks to K-pop stars using the site as a photoshoot, TV series and music video backdrop, this eerie space has a new lease on life.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • Last awards season, the gossip around town, salacious and disturbing in equal measure, was that hotel suites all over Hollywood were populated by tailors taking in gowns coming straight off the runway.
    — Marti Noxon, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The disturbing situation came to light after a tree fell on the home during a storm.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The result is a haunting portrait of social collapse whose power is premised on the words and faces of survivors.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Despite lingering radiation, Pripyat draws photographers and history enthusiasts eager to witness one of the most complete—and haunting—portraits of a city abruptly frozen.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026
Definition of haunting
Adjective
  • Security will remain in place at the schools, officials said, and counselors will be available for students who feel uneasy about attending classes.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • The film follows Niaz (Bakhtadze), a once-famous star of Georgian cinema who embarks on a bizarre and fatalistic odyssey of self-transformation, after an unsettling audition with a young female director looking to cast him in a minor part.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Learning from the doctor that your cholesterol levels are higher than recommended can be an unsettling wake-up call.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • One day, Abdeen remembered, there was a tense discussion in the house.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In the footage, Teng and Perlmutter get into a tense debate about the ethics.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • Until Bezos, or any of his new partners, speak publicly, the conversation about what comes next will be nervous.
    — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In a nervous market full of geopolitical tension, IPOs have attracted a lot of investor attention, with AI darlings Anthropic and OpenAI preparing for their own debuts.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Being anxious or nervous about this big step in your career is very normal.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Super teams share prompts openly, coached by leaders who use the tools themselves, which leaves them markedly less anxious about AI displacing their jobs.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of anxious

Browse Nearby Words

creep up
creepy
cremate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Creepy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creepy. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All