Standard Lemma guide

formication

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An abnormal skin sensation similar to that of insects crawling over or within the skin; a tactile hallucination involving such a sensation. A common side-effect of substance abuse, it can also be experienced with high fever, menopause, skin cancer, diabetic neuropathy, or herpes zoster.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: creevles, creepy-crawlies

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

hallucinated sensation that insects or snakes are crawling over the skin; a common side-effect of extensive use of cocaine or amphetamines

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: paresthesia, paraesthesia

History

Etymology

Circa 1700, from Latin formīca (“ant”) + -tion.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَنْمِيل (tanmīl) — abnormal skin sensation
  • French: fourmillement — abnormal skin sensation
  • Portuguese: formigamento — abnormal skin sensation
  • Spanish: formicación — abnormal skin sensation
  • Turkish: karıncalanma — abnormal skin sensation
  • Ottoman Turkish: قرنجه (karınca) — abnormal skin sensation
  • Ottoman Turkish: قرنجهلانمه (karıncalanma) — abnormal skin sensation