bristled; bristling
ˈbris-liŋ 
ˈbri-sə-
1
: to furnish with short stiff coarse hairs or filaments : to furnish with bristles
1
a
: to rise and stand stiffly erect
quills bristling
b
: to raise the bristles (as in anger)
a snarling, bristling dog
2
: to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism)
he bristled at the accusations of corruption
3
a
: to be full of or covered with especially something suggestive of bristles
roofs bristled with chimneys
b
: to be full of something specified
book bristles with detail and irony—
W. J. Broad
W. J. Broad
Synonyms
Examples of bristle in a Sentence
Noun
a face covered with bristles
the bristles of a brush
Verb
Electricity makes your hair bristle.
a recent college grad thrilled to be starting a new life in a city bristling with possibilities
Recent Examples on the WebJennifer Hussein, Allure, 14 Nov. 2023
The tri-colored handle is made from lacquered wood, and its soft bristles will make brow grooming a breeze.
—Bellamy Richardson, wsj.com, 8 Nov. 2023
The bristles smooth strands and reduce frizz leaving your hair bouncy and full.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 30 Oct. 2023
The $18 implement, made by the hair-tool brand FHI Heat, looks like a regular paddle brush, but with its rear panel removed so that air can flow through its perforated sheet of plastic bristles.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2023
For difficult-to-remove mold, scrub with a bristle brush.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2023
Most dentists recommend switching out your toothbrush every three months to ensure that the bristles are not damaged or frayed.
—Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2023
The stick vacuum’s bristles dive deep to remove dirt and release even the finest dust from your floors, and its motorbar cleaner head can deep clean, which makes picking up both pet hair and human hair simple.
—Dhara Patel, Peoplemag, 13 Oct. 2023
The bristles covering each animal are coated in proteins that can cause rashes or eye irritation in humans.
—Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
In fact, as Afrobeats’ profile has grown, he’s bristled at broad catchall genre terms to characterize music from throughout Africa, arguing for less reductive treatment.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
China has bristled at the United States for escalating sanctions with new restrictions on U.S. investments in its high-tech sector, including its semiconductor and microelectronics industries, and considers many of its punitive actions against American firms to be proportional countermoves.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
That dynamic didn’t sit well with Wineman, who bristled at any critique of his work, says editor David Kittredge.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 2 Nov. 2023
For his part, Mr. Netanyahu has bristled at Mr. Biden’s efforts to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Iran, seeing it as foolhardy.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Beijing has long bristled at the U.S. military aircraft and ships that operate in international skies and seas near China.
—Chris Buckley, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Some have bristled at the pressure applied by allies of Jordan, who has deep ties to the party’s conservative base and is backed by former President Donald Trump.
—WSJ, 18 Oct. 2023
Foreign companies and governments have bristled at some of the CHIPS Act provisions, which also include requirements to use union labor, provide affordable childcare and share excessive profits with the U.S. government.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
The former is kind of like your usual blow-dryer brush: the device uses heated air and its mix of pins, synthetic bristles, and boar bristles to dry hair while smoothing, detangling, and polishing strands.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 14 Nov. 2023
The tri-colored handle is made from lacquered wood, and its soft bristles will make brow grooming a breeze.
—Bellamy Richardson, wsj.com, 8 Nov. 2023
The bristles smooth strands and reduce frizz leaving your hair bouncy and full.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 30 Oct. 2023
The $18 implement, made by the hair-tool brand FHI Heat, looks like a regular paddle brush, but with its rear panel removed so that air can flow through its perforated sheet of plastic bristles.
—Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2023
For difficult-to-remove mold, scrub with a bristle brush.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2023
Most dentists recommend switching out your toothbrush every three months to ensure that the bristles are not damaged or frayed.
—Danielle Zoellner, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2023
The stick vacuum’s bristles dive deep to remove dirt and release even the finest dust from your floors, and its motorbar cleaner head can deep clean, which makes picking up both pet hair and human hair simple.
—Dhara Patel, Peoplemag, 13 Oct. 2023
The bristles covering each animal are coated in proteins that can cause rashes or eye irritation in humans.
—Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
Verb
Paul Matthews is a fiercely memorable loser, a sad sack who bristles with recognizably Cageian energy.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
In fact, as Afrobeats’ profile has grown, he’s bristled at broad catchall genre terms to characterize music from throughout Africa, arguing for less reductive treatment.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
China has bristled at the United States for escalating sanctions with new restrictions on U.S. investments in its high-tech sector, including its semiconductor and microelectronics industries, and considers many of its punitive actions against American firms to be proportional countermoves.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
That dynamic didn’t sit well with Wineman, who bristled at any critique of his work, says editor David Kittredge.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 2 Nov. 2023
For his part, Mr. Netanyahu has bristled at Mr. Biden’s efforts to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Iran, seeing it as foolhardy.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Beijing has long bristled at the U.S. military aircraft and ships that operate in international skies and seas near China.
—Chris Buckley, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
Some have bristled at the pressure applied by allies of Jordan, who has deep ties to the party’s conservative base and is backed by former President Donald Trump.
—WSJ, 18 Oct. 2023
Foreign companies and governments have bristled at some of the CHIPS Act provisions, which also include requirements to use union labor, provide affordable childcare and share excessive profits with the U.S. government.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bristle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English bristil, from brust bristle, from Old English byrst; akin to Old High German burst bristle, and perhaps to Latin fastigium top
Verb
verbal derivative of bristle entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of bristle was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing bristle
Dictionary Entries Near bristle
Cite this Entry
“Bristle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bristle. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
bristle
1 of 2 noun
bris·tle
ˈbris-əl
: a short stiff hair or something like a hair
bristled
adjective
-əld
bristly
adjective
-(ə-)lē
bristle
2 of 2 verb
bristled; bristling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to rise up and stiffen like bristles
makes your hair bristle
quills bristling in all directions
2
: to show signs of anger
bristled at the insult
3
: to appear as if covered with bristles
a harbor bristling with the masts of ships
bristly
adjective
-(ə-)lē
Medical Definition
bristle
noun
bris·tle
ˈbris-əl
: a short stiff coarse hair or filament
More from Merriam-Webster on bristle
Nglish: Translation of bristle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bristle for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bristle
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