gristle

noun

gris·​tle ˈgri-səl  -zəl 

: cartilage

broadly : tough cartilaginous, tendinous, or fibrous matter especially in table meats

Examples of gristle in a Sentence

a cheap piece of meat, full of gristle and fat

Recent Examples on the Web

Then again, with nothing from the court yet on the sanctions move by Lively’s side against Baldoni’s top lawyer, maybe everyone being circumspect in anticipation of what’s next in a case that since December last year always seems to provided more gristle at every turn — with more likely to come. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025

For other authors, the sprawling gristle of motherhood and childrearing has offered a means of exploring the broader, if connected, matters of identity, sexuality, and race. —Alice Vincent, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2025

There is banter and there is not-banter, but no gristle connecting them. —James Wood, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

Fewer still can do that while singing with such untroubled suppleness, without a trace of steeliness or gristle in her voice. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gristil, from Old English gristle; akin to Middle Low German gristel gristle

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gristle

• abyssal
• dismissal
• epistle
• bristle
• fissile
• missal
• missile
• nissl
• thistle
• whistle

Kids Definition

gristle

noun

gris·​tle ˈgris-əl 

: tough chewy matter in meat served as food that is composed usually of cartilage

gristly

ˈgris-(ə-)lē

adjective

Medical Definition

gristle

noun

gris·​tle ˈgris-əl 

: cartilage