as in shivers
a sense of panic or extreme nervousness
spiders give me the willies for some reason
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Recent Examples of willies
But those little black spiders that run like the wind give me the willies.
—
Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Jan. 2023
Impossible movie, there will be plenty more willies to be had.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2022
This way, a sign says, is the lower cave: a 3/4-mile tunnel that’s not especially challenging nor tight enough to trigger claustrophobic willies.
—Scott Hewitt, oregonlive, 19 Aug. 2022
The veg sandwich, in which a salty and steroidal oyster mushroom subs for the bird, just gives me the willies.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
Memory is imperfect, as Forth explains in his book, and encounters with a modern-day hobbit can scare the willies out of anyone.
—Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 16 May 2022
But most of the Christmas-y efforts feel original, including a bloody throw down in a retail store, a twisty story with heisting Santas, and a yuletide family dinner that'll give you the willies.
—Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2021
Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Jan. 2023
Impossible movie, there will be plenty more willies to be had.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 5 Sep. 2022
This way, a sign says, is the lower cave: a 3/4-mile tunnel that’s not especially challenging nor tight enough to trigger claustrophobic willies.
—Scott Hewitt, oregonlive, 19 Aug. 2022
The veg sandwich, in which a salty and steroidal oyster mushroom subs for the bird, just gives me the willies.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
Memory is imperfect, as Forth explains in his book, and encounters with a modern-day hobbit can scare the willies out of anyone.
—Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 16 May 2022
But most of the Christmas-y efforts feel original, including a bloody throw down in a retail store, a twisty story with heisting Santas, and a yuletide family dinner that'll give you the willies.
—Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Willies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/willies. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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