bristled

verb

past tense of bristle
1
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
2
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 Bona says the film was produced over the course of two years from a team of 70 to 80 people, and some of the creators bristled at the idea that the images were created with a single click. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2026 What’s more, two groups that fought alongside the government – Eritrea and the Fano militia from the neighboring Amhara region – bristled at being excluded from peace talks. — Siyanne Mekonnen, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026 Since Caitlin Clark helped drive the WNBA's popularity, left-wing sports writers have bristled at traditional fans filling arenas. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Companies that previously touted the regulator’s strength have bristled as the agency now pursues policies specific to prediction markets. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The moment is a test for the UAE government, which has burnished a reputation for building effective measures against extremist activities but also has bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses. — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Sonorous jaws bristled with the thick chin hairs of your least-favourite grandmother. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 In this case, though, the defense bristled, forcing Indy to settle for a game-tying field goal that in turn enabled the Chiefs to prevail 33-30 on Harrison Butker’s 40-yard field goal on the last play of overtime. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 Lawrence bristled at that charge, noting that he's been protesting data centers since last fall when a wave of new projects was proposed across the district and the state. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristled
  1. buzzed
  2. stormed
  3. burst
  4. raged
  5. hummed
  6. fumed
  7. bulged
  8. brimmed
Verb
  • Rothe will next star in Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s buzzed about TIFF acquisition River, opposite Jane Levy, which will open in theaters on January 15, 2027.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The annual classical Christian schools conference in June in Atlanta buzzed with talk of the historic shift in school funding, which bolsters a conservative Christian push to remake the education landscape.
    — Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of buzzed
Verb
  • Republicans stormed to their first majority in the House (54 seats net) in 40 years and recaptured the Senate with eight new seats there as well.
    — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In 2006, the Charger stormed the market as a rubber-burning full-size sedan that gained muscle over the years, culminating in a 797-horsepower variant.
    — Matt Degen, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stormed
Verb
  • Brand did arrive at court with a Holy Bible bursting with index tabs.
    — Luke Jones, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
  • One of the world’s largest circular fashion ecosystems, Kantamanto Market is a vibrant tangle of upcyclers, secondhand retailers, and other market traders, bursting with creativity.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of burst
Verb
  • Weather concerns The plane went down amid a barrage of severe thunderstorms that raged across South Florida Sunday morning and into the afternoon.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The fire raged overnight and destroyed the complex in the Old Town Newhall community of Santa Clarita, wiping away a 100-year-old structure that housed longtime community staples including a restaurant and a performing-arts theater.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of raged
Verb
  • After the team’s historic, championship-clinching summer, Thursday’s preseason matchup hummed with energy.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At a local senior residence center this week, the participants hummed with lindens and then headed into the art room to reflect on paper, using sepia-brown linden ink.
    — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hummed
Verb
  • Bonta fumed that state investigators had been stripped of credit for their work in the federal government’s enforcement actions, noting that Essayli had thanked local and state partners, but did not identify teams.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Mizzou fans fumed about beating KU but playing in the lesser bowl.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fumed
Verb
  • By later in the day, the second lake had bulged — sparking fears of another lethal torrent.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • My husband Grant Wahl's bulged and burst, at an age when this disease usually means something inherited.
    — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of bulged
Verb
  • All night long patrons filled the patio tables and stood at the counter inside, where the prices were a bit lower and display cases brimmed with pintxos — rounds of bread piled with anchovies, fried squid, rare beef, gratinéed spider crab.
    — John Kessler, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Carcasses lay strewn along the shoreline as the beach brimmed with weekend activity.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of brimmed

Browse Nearby Words

bristle
bristled
bristles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bristled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristled. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cockamamie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All