noun
willies
noun
1
A strong feeling of nervousness, unease, or fear (always used with 'the').
"That abandoned house gives me the willies."
"Walking through the empty car park at night gives her the willies."
How to Use Willies
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA jumpy, uneasy, spooked feeling — informal and always plural, always with 'the'.
When to use it
Informal; common in speech, less so in formal writing.
Common pairings
gives me the willies
get the willies
Word Forms
the willies plural
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That abandoned house gives me the _____.
Etymology
First recorded in the 1890s; possibly linked to "the woollies" (an old dialect term for the itchy, uneasy feeling of wearing wool), though some trace it to the Wilis — ghostly spirits in the ballet Giselle.