Creepy Words: 50 Scary Words With Meanings

Creepy Words for Fear

1. Dread: great fear about something that is going to happen. “Dread settled in her stomach as the footsteps reached the landing.”
2. Trepidation: nervous fear about what may happen. “He opened the cellar door with trepidation.”
3. Foreboding: a strong feeling that something bad is coming. “The silent house filled her with foreboding.”
4. Frisson: a sudden shiver of fear or excitement. “A frisson ran down his spine when the music box began to play.”
5. Horripilation: the bristling of hair on the skin, as in goosebumps. “The whisper brought on a wave of horripilation.”
6. Disquiet: a feeling of unease or worry. “There was a disquiet in the village no one would name.”
7. Aghast: filled with horror or shock. “She stared, aghast, at the handprint on the inside of the glass.”
8. Petrified: so frightened that you cannot move. “Petrified, he watched the closet door swing open.”
9. Unnerve: to make someone lose courage or confidence. “The ranger’s question unnerved them all.”
10. Apprehension: anxiety that something bad will happen. “She knocked with growing apprehension.”

Creepy Words for Darkness and Night

11. Stygian: extremely dark, from the River Styx of Greek myth. “The tunnel ahead was stygian.”
12. Tenebrous: dark and shadowy. “Tenebrous corridors wound beneath the hospital.”
13. Caliginous: dark and misty. “A caliginous fog rolled off the marsh.”
14. Crepuscular: relating to twilight. “In the crepuscular light, the scarecrow seemed to lean.”
15. Gloaming: twilight; the time just after sunset. “They left the churchyard in the gloaming.”
16. Umbra: the darkest part of a shadow. “Something moved inside the umbra of the oak.”
17. Penumbra: the lighter outer part of a shadow. “Her face hovered at the edge of the penumbra.”
18. Murky: dark, gloomy and hard to see through. “Shapes drifted in the murky water.”
19. Vespertine: relating to, or active in, the evening. “The bats began their vespertine flight.”
20. Nocturnal: happening or active at night. “Nocturnal scratching came from inside the walls.”

Creepy Words for Death and the Dead

21. Revenant: a person who returns, especially from the dead. “The revenant stood at the foot of the bed.”
22. Wraith: a ghost, especially one seen shortly before or after someone’s death. “A pale wraith crossed the hall.”
23. Sepulchral: relating to a tomb; gloomy and solemn. “His voice was low and sepulchral.”
24. Moribund: close to death. “The moribund village emptied a little more each winter.”
25. Cadaverous: very pale and thin, like a corpse. “The doctor’s cadaverous face appeared at the window.”
26. Ossuary: a container or room for the bones of the dead. “The crypt opened into a vast ossuary.”
27. Charnel house: a building or vault where bones or bodies are stored. “The cellar smelled like a charnel house.”
28. Lychgate: the roofed gateway to a churchyard. “Someone was waiting under the lychgate.”
29. Memento mori: an object kept as a reminder of death. “A small skull on the desk served as a memento mori.”
30. Lich: an old word for a corpse, now often used for an undead sorcerer in fantasy. “The legend said a lich still guarded the tomb.”

Creepy Words for Sounds

31. Susurrus: a soft whispering or rustling sound. “A susurrus of voices came from the empty pews.”
32. Keening: a high, wailing cry of grief. “Keening drifted up from the river at night.”
33. Knell: the solemn sound of a bell, especially for a death. “The church bell tolled a single knell.”
34. Dirge: a slow, mournful song for the dead. “The wind through the chimney sounded like a dirge.”
35. Ululate: to howl or wail. “Something ululated in the hills above the camp.”
36. Sibilant: making a hissing sound. “A sibilant whisper said her name.”
37. Cacophony: a harsh, jarring mix of sounds. “Every clock in the house struck at once, a cacophony at midnight.”
38. Thrum: a low, steady humming or vibrating sound. “The thrum beneath the floor never stopped.”
39. Skirl: a shrill, wailing sound. “The skirl of the wind rose over the moor.”
40. Muffled: quiet and indistinct, as if covered. “Muffled knocking came from inside the wall.”

Creepy Words for Atmosphere

41. Eldritch: weird, sinister and unearthly. “An eldritch light flickered in the abandoned mill.”
42. Uncanny: strange in a way that is unsettling, especially when something familiar seems wrong. “The doll’s smile was uncanny.”
43. Macabre: disturbing because it involves death or horror. “The museum kept a macabre collection.”
44. Eerie: strange and frightening. “An eerie silence fell over the campsite.”
45. Sinister: suggesting that something harmful or evil will happen. “There was something sinister about the guest book.”
46. Baleful: threatening harm; menacing. “The cat watched them with a baleful stare.”
47. Malevolent: wishing to do evil to others. “A malevolent presence filled the attic.”
48. Ghastly: causing great horror; also, deathly pale. “Her face was ghastly in the candlelight.”
49. Grisly: causing horror or disgust. “The fairy tale had a grisly ending.”
50. Lugubrious: sad and gloomy, often exaggeratedly so. “The innkeeper spoke in a lugubrious voice.”

How to Use Creepy Words in Your Writing

Choose words for sound as well as meaning. “Susurrus” sounds like whispering, and “knell” sounds like a bell; reading your sentence aloud will tell you whether the word earns its place. Put the strongest word near the end of a sentence, where it lands hardest, and avoid stacking several unusual words together.

Plain words are often scarier than fancy ones. “The basement light switch is upstairs, and I have just heard it click” uses no creepy vocabulary at all. Save the rich words for atmosphere and description, and keep the moment of fear simple. Our scary story ideas are a good place to practice both.

Creepy Words — FAQ