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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
4
as in dragging
to move slowly
the class hour seems to creep by
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of creeping
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
Arielle Gordon, Pitchfork, 16 Sep. 2025
Moms pushed babies in strollers on a road divided by a median of blowing sand and creeping ice plant succulents, still striped with dotted white lines marking what used to be driving lanes.
—Janie Har, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Political violence has been creeping closer to the center of American life for more than a decade.
—Marly Berlin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
This porch-ready planting includes purple fountain grass, flowering kale, coralbells, creeping Jenny, and marguerite daisies.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
However, this highlights how the inconsistency many want to eliminate is still creeping in.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
The rain is much needed, as most of the Kansas City forecast area is abnormally dry, with moderate drought conditions creeping closer to its boundaries in mid-Missouri, the weather service said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
While not exactly undiscovered, Mendocino’s three-hour distance from San Francisco has long protected it from the development and gentrification creeping into Sonoma.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
Coachella hasn’t sold out since 2023, despite its release dates creeping earlier in the calendar each year.
—Arielle Gordon, Pitchfork, 16 Sep. 2025
Moms pushed babies in strollers on a road divided by a median of blowing sand and creeping ice plant succulents, still striped with dotted white lines marking what used to be driving lanes.
—Janie Har, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Political violence has been creeping closer to the center of American life for more than a decade.
—Marly Berlin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
This porch-ready planting includes purple fountain grass, flowering kale, coralbells, creeping Jenny, and marguerite daisies.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
However, this highlights how the inconsistency many want to eliminate is still creeping in.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
The rain is much needed, as most of the Kansas City forecast area is abnormally dry, with moderate drought conditions creeping closer to its boundaries in mid-Missouri, the weather service said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
While not exactly undiscovered, Mendocino’s three-hour distance from San Francisco has long protected it from the development and gentrification creeping into Sonoma.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creeping
Adjective
-
The leisurely trips meander along the Snake River, near Grand Teton National Park, for several hours.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Once a working farm in the time of the gold rush, since 1962 the Greenhorn has been a place where the day is taken at a leisurely pace, where visitors soak in the 600 acres that abuts to 500,000 more acres of public land.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Washington’s only voice in Congress criticized the bills for encroaching on the district’s governance.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Are other people’s money problems encroaching on your bottom line?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Still, there was a lingering hesitancy that often got in his way.—
Stephen Galloway,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The performance was impacted by the lingering effects of operational challenges, delivery delays and store closures initiated last year.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Fans catapulted themselves through the air, crawling onto the stage.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Sep. 2025
-
But the line is wildly popular—the launch of a collaboration with the street artist KAWS sparked a frenzy in China in 2019, with shoppers crawling under shutters, removing clothes from mannequins, and putting one another in headlocks to get the shirts before they were gone.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Moncur struggled for seven minutes, dragging Blaze — who was locked on her arm — to the front of the facility in search of help.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The trends have contributed to a slump in consumer confidence, dragging on spending and threatening leaders’ official growth target for this year of around 5%.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The long-term effect is a generation carrying debt, stuck in low-wage jobs, and delaying milestones like homeownership or starting families.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Flush-fit door handles fail far more often during side impacts than regular handles, delaying egress or rescue time after a crash.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In short, this is a smart gel where tiny sliding molecules act like both shock absorbers and stress indicators.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
As has become tradition, the ads will reference trends and conversations in college football like the coaching hot seat, flag planting and quarterbacks sliding in the draft.—
Kristi Dosh,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Creeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creeping. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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