BRISTLED Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

bristled

verb

past tense of bristle

as in buzzed

to be copiously supplied a recent college grad thrilled to be starting a new life in a city bristling with possibilities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stormed

to express one's anger usually violently the man bristled at the accusation, and threatened to file a lawsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bristled But for years, many clinicians have bristled at the shifts to a centralized system, feeling their voices have been pushed to the side in favor of more corporate decision-making. —

Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 21 May 2026 Above the lobby of Alameda Theatre, Obama Shaw bristled with an unbridled confidence about his abilities. —

Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 18 May 2026 Residents who spoke with the Associated Press expressed concerns about safety and public services but bristled at stereotypes about rampant crime. —

Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026 Residents who spoke with The Associated Press expressed concerns about safety and public services but bristled at stereotypes about rampant crime. —

ABC News, 9 May 2026 But others, including a number of prominent voices on the Right, bristled at the administration’s timing. —

Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 9 May 2026 Vogt says that Rattlesnake Master's spiky yucca-like leaves and bristled golf-ball flowers add architectural drama to a prairie planting and lure adult pollinators throughout the late summer. —

Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026 The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians. —

Dennis Romero, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026 Tim Cook, ever the pragmatist bent on slow-rolling product upgrades that maximize profit, presumably bristled at attempts to cut into the iPhone’s profit margins. —

Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristled

Verb

The area had been heavily bombarded in recent weeks, and an Israeli drone buzzed overhead, looping around the cleaved remains of nearby buildings.

— Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
Beto was close to unplayable up front, while James Garner and Dewsbury-Hall buzzed around in midfield.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 27 May 2026