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 Multiple sources tell Rambling there were creative differences between Ellis and HBO — hardly a shock given that the author has bristled at adaptations of his work for 25 years, since American Psycho. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 At a busy early voting site on Madison's north side, even some of Hong's supporters bristled at some of her controversial positions. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 When some senators pressed him on the memos’ content, Roberts bristled. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 If your shutters have slats, carefully wipe between each slat, using a toothbrush or soft-bristled brush to get into corners. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026 Skubal bristled at the idea that fans would be upset that the Dodgers, reigning back-to-back World Series champions, could land the best (and their only) target during this deadline period. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristled
  1. buzzed
  2. stormed
  3. burst
  4. raged
  5. hummed
  6. fumed
  7. bulged
  8. brimmed
Verb
  • The two 98-seat Embraer-190 regional jets from South African airline Airlink buzzed Cape Town’s DHL stadium on Saturday just before the match between the country’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks teams.
    — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • As for Haaland, whose long, pale-blonde hair nabbed countless headlines during the World Cup, buzzed it off and filmed the whole thing for YouTube.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of buzzed
Verb
  • Young people armed with machetes stormed the site of the funeral, forcing the team to flee and injuring one member, a representative told the Associated Press.
    — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Jerusalem — Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and seized a home while its owner was inside in the latest brazen settler attack in the area.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of stormed
Verb
  • The Fire Department rescued numerous residents who had become trapped by the flames, which were seen bursting from the building, KCTV5 reported at the time.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The illusion of a beautiful, war-free Dresden, however, would soon burst for these men, going as flat as the champagne bubbles after the wedding of Billy Pilgrim’s daughter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of burst
Verb
  • The deadly multistate outbreak, linked to iceberg lettuce, has raged on this summer.
    — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The company said a large fire raged at an Ozon logistics facility in the suburbs of Krasnodar following the overnight attack.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of raged
Verb
  • The bleachers were packed, and for the first time all day the air hummed with genuine enthusiasm.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of hummed
Verb
  • Mizzou fans fumed about beating KU but playing in the lesser bowl.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Cliff Johnsen, business agent for the Steamfitters Local 638 union, fumed.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 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
  • But You Caint Use My Phone, which brimmed with affirmative heaters that wonderfully interrogated screen-staring.
    — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All