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

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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 Over the course of his 45-minute press conference Thursday, many viewers (including CNN reporters and editors) bristled at Warsh’s penchant for catchy turns of phrase that don’t quite … make sense. — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 29 July 2026 Herbst bristled at the idea that the existing buildings truly needed that many renovations to safely function as a city hall. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026 China understands this reality as well as anyone and, like many countries, has bristled at this enormous concentration of power for decades. — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 28 June 2026 When his Peace Corps tour ended, Briscoe bristled at the idea of leaving. — ABC News, 10 June 2026 Use an old toothbrush or soft-bristled cleaning brush to scrub the caulk, being sure to get into hard-to-reach corners and edges. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristled
  1. buzzed
  2. stormed
  3. burst
  4. raged
  5. hummed
  6. fumed
  7. bulged
  8. brimmed
Verb
  • That same day, 260 miles west, the mayor of another Saskatchewan town was sitting on the end of a fishing dock when his phone buzzed with a text message.
    — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Navy flight that buzzed the Renton, Washington training facility on the Southeastern shore of Lake Washington lasted much of the football team's first padded practice.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of buzzed
Verb
  • Spain erected a 1,600-foot sea barrier off Ceuta after tens of thousands of migrants stormed the frontier, a deadly rush that left at least 67 dead.
    — Sergio Rodrigo Ruíz, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Sami and Finn brawled with Gunther before Nick Aldis stormed out and got the better of Gunther in a brawl of his own.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of stormed
Verb
  • The flames that burst from each copper pipe aren’t responsible for generating the organ’s tones.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The Saturday morning calm at Catalina Island Health’s two-bed emergency room was broken just before noon, when two tourists with arm injuries burst in within minutes of one another.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of burst
Verb
  • In Spain, several fires raged earlier this month, with a major wildfire near Madrid, and another in the country's Castellón region, forcing several tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
    — Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 31 July 2026
  • Blazes in touristic Mugla and Antalya and elsewhere raged overnight as hot weather and strong winds gripped the region.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of raged
Verb
  • As the tattoo machine hummed across her leg, Savanna Georges watched another chapter of her faith take shape in ink.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The town's only hospital hummed with ambulances, burial teams and a steady stream of patients.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 July 2026
Definition of hummed
Verb
  • Cliff Johnsen, business agent for the Steamfitters Local 638 union, fumed.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026
  • Both the defendants and courts fumed at this because, while attorney-client privilege survives death, this death killed the power of Boca Raton’s Lee Sarkin and Ocean Ridge’s Drew Levitt to act on their client’s behalf.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
Definition of fumed
Verb
  • 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
  • That ball found the head of Jude Bellingham, whose diving header bulged the net and opened the scoring.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of bulged
Verb
  • Sitting with her children in a carriage during the parade and later appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the princess wore nodded to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana's 1987 Easter outfit in a pale blue ensemble and wide-brimmed hat by Catherine Walker.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 15 June 2026
  • Conversations between the two often brimmed with lessons on life, which Honda carries close to heart.
    — Julius Miller Follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Definition of brimmed

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Cite this Entry

“Bristled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristled. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bristled for Spanish Speakers

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