as in bristly
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bristling
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Mason gives him a somewhat civilized welcome but has too much bristling nervous energy to be trusted.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
February 26, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Tour guide Michael Hillman said travelers are bristling at how pricey Las Vegas has become.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
More than any other European leader, Orbán has made a career out of bristling against the EU, despite not seeking to leave it.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Buried in a six-game losing streak, Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll has canned two coordinators — most notably offensive mind Chip Kelly, hired away from national champion Ohio State this offseason to operate a Raiders attack bristling with skill players.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
The real success of King Sorrow, however, is its balancing of stunt and spectacle with the characters’ bristling imperfections.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The path curls beneath bristling columns and then drops steeply over the side.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Bondi’s response was characteristically bristling and evasive; Whitehouse asked about the money seven times, to no avail.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
That gives it a bristling relevance.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Mason gives him a somewhat civilized welcome but has too much bristling nervous energy to be trusted.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
The seas of the Middle East are bristling with American warships and airpower trained on Iran.
—February 26, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Tour guide Michael Hillman said travelers are bristling at how pricey Las Vegas has become.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
More than any other European leader, Orbán has made a career out of bristling against the EU, despite not seeking to leave it.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Buried in a six-game losing streak, Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll has canned two coordinators — most notably offensive mind Chip Kelly, hired away from national champion Ohio State this offseason to operate a Raiders attack bristling with skill players.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
The real success of King Sorrow, however, is its balancing of stunt and spectacle with the characters’ bristling imperfections.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The path curls beneath bristling columns and then drops steeply over the side.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Bondi’s response was characteristically bristling and evasive; Whitehouse asked about the money seven times, to no avail.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
Adjective
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During the summer ski jumping season when competitors slide down ceramic or porcelain tracks and land on bristly plastic mats, the team tried to adjust to the new ski suit dimensions.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Their typically bristly fur is peppered with shades of brown and gray, with a white underbelly.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The look—a skintight black bustier dress with a trompe l’oeil crocodile tail on the front and a bursting cloud of white tulle at the back—first appeared in January on Roseberry’s couture runway for the label.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
4 Mar. 2026
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If your closet isn’t already bursting at the seams with winter layers, consider snagging this Zeagoo Long Cardigan for 55 percent off.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the direction of hair architect Guido Palou, models let the new Fendi speak for itself, storming down the catwalk with their hair tied behind them.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
It should be noted that once again the students never considered storming the court — that doesn’t happen after victories at blue-blood KU.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Sister Rochelle, played by April Grace with seething intensity, sets her straight.—
Lisa Rosen,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Bondi Beach, Sydney — For Australia’s tiny Jewish population, Bondi Beach was a refuge within a vast country that offered sanctuary to families fleeing a seething hate that killed six million of their kind within the lifetime of some of their oldest members.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Southern California club joins a buzzing market of MLS stake sales.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Iranian Americans in metro Atlanta said their phones were buzzing as events unfolded overseas, and now many are anxiously waiting for the next message from family back home.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clearly, there are aspects of this Paris house’s past that are still little known, despite Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain army and Christophe Decarnin’s raging aughts success.—
Nicole Phelps,
Vogue,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Weigh in on that argument that is now going to be raging on Capitol Hill.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Dec. 2025
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Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The fire department has advised residents to look for signs that their properties may have been damaged or are at risk of collapse, such as cracks in bulging walls, fissures and stuck doors and windows.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The kids froze mid-mouthful, eyes bulging in horror at the thought of having to witness such a thing in the company of their parents.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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