1
as in bursting
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 storming
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
as in bristly
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bristling
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
With the neighborhood already bristling with all kinds of MLRS, that will no doubt be the case.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
During a standout setpiece at the restaurant — opened after hours for the celebrity couple, to the bristling resentment of the staff — Tony sufficiently ingratiates himself with the Americans that Jack agrees to read Amin’s script.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
And as politicians, these Supreme Court Justices are especially bristling, equivocating, and entitled, which doesn’t make for trustworthy narration.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
That gives it a bristling relevance.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Spicomellus had a back that was probably bristling with sharper spines, along with far larger ones along its outer edges.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
With the neighborhood already bristling with all kinds of MLRS, that will no doubt be the case.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
During a standout setpiece at the restaurant — opened after hours for the celebrity couple, to the bristling resentment of the staff — Tony sufficiently ingratiates himself with the Americans that Jack agrees to read Amin’s script.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
And as politicians, these Supreme Court Justices are especially bristling, equivocating, and entitled, which doesn’t make for trustworthy narration.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
Verb
-
An affectionate little cat with a heart bursting with love for humans is looking for a home at a Texas shelter.—
TJ Macias,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The novel sparkles with Sosa’s signature wit and sense of humor; the banter between Javi and Mari is deliciously funny, bursting with laugh-out-loud moments on seemingly every other page.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Tony and Zive take off, eluding Henry and the Interpol agents storming the hospital.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In Bandung, protesters lit tires on fire, while in Ternate, police used teargas to stop crowds storming parliament buildings.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But that hypothesis, Harland wrote in a bristly 1964 Scientific American article, was not supported by any concrete evidence.—
Laura Poppick
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
-
Step 3: Tidy the Harvest When the garlic is fully cured with papery skins and brittle, brown leaves, brush away any excess soil with your fingers and clip back the bristly roots.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Aug. 2024
Verb
-
South America is buzzing with debates over whether Maduro should be exiled or imprisoned.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
On the Gran Vía, Belle Époque façades meet grand theaters and glittering shops buzzing into the night.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That people might be falling for the Minneapolis shooter’s scribblings and raging at each other over potential motivations is likely thrilling to potential copycat killers—proof that the troll still works.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Flash floods are usually characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains.—
AZCentral.com,
AZCentral.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This means that voters and Congress members alike are driven not so much by loyalty to their own party but instead a sort of seething hatred for the other political party.—
Charlie Hunt,
The Conversation,
13 June 2025
-
Bateman's seething anger at having his card bested by that of his colleague Paul Allen (Jared Leto), despite the two cards looking almost identical, satirized the vacuous materialism of 1980s yuppie culture.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
The man displayed his find—a bulging-eyed doll with prominent teeth, enormous ears and a fuzzy body.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But now, as the result of hours spent training in the gym, Draper boasts an imposing frame with biceps visibly bulging from underneath his t-shirt.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Nebraska will be brimming with confidence.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
As a museum-like space brimming with rare works, the gallery has a lot to offer the design-curious.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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