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
We should all be indebted to Emma Thompson for taking on this character, who might have given even Charles Dickens the willies.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2022
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
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
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
Those social media videos of people willingly jumping off tall pinnacles while wearing the flimsiest of parachutes or minuscule flying gear are enough to give the rest of us the willies.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2021
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
We should all be indebted to Emma Thompson for taking on this character, who might have given even Charles Dickens the willies.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2022
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
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
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
Those social media videos of people willingly jumping off tall pinnacles while wearing the flimsiest of parachutes or minuscule flying gear are enough to give the rest of us the willies.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2021
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 15 Mar. 2025.
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