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Creaky

adjectivePronunciation: /ˈkriː.ki/

In Portuguese: Rangente

What does “Creaky” mean?

Making a harsh squeaking or groaning sound, or colloquially worn out, stiff, and aged.

Etymology

Formed from the verb creak with the suffix -y. Creak goes back to Middle English creken, a word of imitative origin, related to croak and crack, that was first used of the harsh cries of birds. The sense of a sharp grating noise, like that of a dry hinge or an old floorboard, came later, and the adjective is recorded from the 19th century. The figurative sense, old and no longer working smoothly, follows from the noise of worn joints and machines.

Synonyms

  • squeaky
  • grating
  • groaning
  • rickety
  • decrepit

Often confused with

creek
Creak, the grating noise, and creek, the small stream, sound the same in English; only creak gives the adjective creaky.

Word family

  • creak
  • creakily
  • creakiness
  • creaking

Rhymes with

  • squeaky
  • leaky
  • sneaky
  • cheeky
  • freaky
  • streaky
  • geeky

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

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Cite this entry

“Creaky”. Agency Wiki, Agency Brasil. Published on November 11, 2026. https://www.agencybrasil.com/en/wiki/dictionary/creaky