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creepiness

creepiness

4 5.3
An unpleasant feeling of fear or unease, like insects crawling on your skin
  • noun
  • /ˈkripɪnəs/
translation icon : inquietud
  • Walking alone at night always gives me a feeling of creepiness as if someone is watching me.
  • creepiness factor

Where you have the people who really love the horror, the creepiness, this kind of like dirty gonna roll aesthetic of like graveyards and everything.

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Examples

  • It's not a horror novel, but it does have a creepiness factor.

    Blog text (14)
  • There's a lot of ways to explain Epstein, including the basic creepiness of human nature, but there could be bigger explanations underlying it.

  • Never mind the creepiness factor of running over these things on a daily basis.

    Blog text (2)
  • And, I might add that creepiness just so happens to be one of my most powerful traits.

  • In this society, men are caught in a double bind as far as "creepiness" is concerned.

    Blog text (19)
  • Where is the line between creepiness and non-creepiness?

    Blog text (32)
  • The Captain and Science Officers seem mesmerized by all the lonely creepiness.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Despite all of this creepiness, Team Breezy insists that it's all just a coincidence.

    Blog text (24)
  • A New York cocktail party in the first chapter of Americana provides the usual blend of cleverness and creepiness.

    Academic text (1997)
  • I grew up on all those 1940s and 50s war movies that projected that creepiness associated with 'Fatherland,' 'Homeland,' etc.

    Blog text (31)

Synonyms

fear
vscreepiness
1.0

An unpleasant feeling of being afraid because something seems dangerous

is a nonthreatening discomfort often described using a crawling skin image
unease
vscreepiness
19 4.4

A feeling of worry and not being relaxed

is similar but often includes a specific skin crawling comparison
unpleasantness
vscreepiness
17 4.2

A feeling of discomfort or dislike

is more specific, highlighting the unsettling crawling sensation within discomfort
scariness
vscreepiness
1 4.1

A feeling of fear caused by something you see or hear

is milder, centring on discomfort and that skin crawling sense rather than fear
eeriness
vscreepiness
1 7.2

A strange, quiet feeling that makes you feel afraid or uneasy

is less about mystery and more about the physical crawling comparison
uncomfortableness
vscreepiness
1 6.0

A feeling of being uneasy or awkward

is the same unpleasantness but often with a creepy, skinlike quality
willies
vscreepiness
  • Informal
1 8.8

A strong nervous feeling that makes you uncomfortable

is a broader uneasy sensation often compared to that same chill feeling
spookiness
vscreepiness
1 5.3

A strange, eerie feeling that makes you feel uneasy

is focused on the unpleasant feeling often likened to insects on the skin
frightfulness
vscreepiness
1 8.1

A strong feeling of fear when something is very scary

is about unpleasant unease and the specific skinlike crawling sensation rather than horror
formication
vscreepiness
  • Specialized
9.9

A feeling that insects are crawling on or under your skin when none are there

focuses on general unease that is often compared to that skin sensation
creepy-crawlies
vscreepiness
  • Informal
7.9

A feeling of nervous discomfort when something feels unpleasant or scary

is similar but emphasizes the crawling or skinlike comparison specifically
creepo vibe
vscreepiness
  • Slang
9.9

A feeling that someone or something is strange and makes you feel unsafe

is the uneasy feeling itself often linked to that disturbing atmosphere
creepies
vscreepiness
  • Informal
8.9

A nervous, uncomfortable feeling caused by something scary or strange

is the uncomfortable feeling often described without naming the spooky cause
creeps
vscreepiness
  • Informal
5.2

A feeling of fear and dislike when you see something strange or scary

is milder and more about general discomfort than strong revulsion
squammy feeling
vscreepiness
9.9

A strange, uncomfortable feeling you cannot explain

is the clearer sense of unease sometimes described with that vague feeling
ghoulishness
vscreepiness
8.8

A strange, scary quality like a ghost or monster

is less horrific and more about an uncomfortable crawling or shivery feeling

Antonyms

304 1.0

A state of comfort and freedom from worry

190 1.0

A feeling of physical ease and being free from pain

How Creepy

panic
394 2.7
fear
1.0
creepiness
4 5.3
unease
19 4.4

Surface Forms

creepiness singular
creepinesses plural

Morphology

creepiness = creepy (transparent) = creep + y + ness

The noun is a regular nominalization of the adjective 'creepy', so the meaning follows standard English word-formation.

Etymology

Creepiness comes from the word creep ('to move quietly' or 'to crawl') plus the ending -ness ('state'). The picture of something quietly crawling, like an insect on your skin or a person sneaking near you, makes you feel uneasy, so creepiness means that unpleasant, uncomfortable feeling.