bristling 1 of 2

adjective

as in bristly

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bristling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bristle
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

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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

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 bristling
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
Speed At All Costs The cars of the early 1990s were extraordinary machines, bristling with active suspension and aerodynamic wizardry. — Jessica Vitiritti, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The Interstate 215 corridor is the arterial mainline of California affordable housing, bristling with so many expanding housing developments that demand is outpacing what’s available in the traditional insurance market. — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026 But there are divided opinions, with some tech leaders bristling at the idea that their companies could not ensure safety on their own. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 Central Market, released in 2009, proved that his idiosyncratic melodic sensibility could translate to a more symphonic setting, with the Wordless Music Orchestra giving his giddy, loop-heavy compositions a bustling, bristling density. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026 El-Sayed and his allies are bristling at that tactic, since Obama has remained neutral in the Senate primary. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 Conservative Justices, bristling at insinuations of bias or partisanship, like to point to the significant share of cases that are decided unanimously. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 30 June 2026 The result is an album that retains the bristling energy of the band’s debut but yet feels refreshingly loose. — Jason P. Woodbury, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026 Young Washington, a new biopic, gives us pre-Revolutionary George, early-20s George, pale, petulant, virginal, ramrod-straight, and bristling with awkwardness and ambition. — James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
  1. bristly
  2. bursting
  3. storming
  4. seething
  5. buzzing
  6. raging
  7. boiling
  8. bulging
Adjective
  • In deep money trouble with local mob boss Abu Rabih (Haytham Chamass), Hamza is all bristly nerves, always a hair’s breadth from falling apart, and, for the other characters and the audience alike, perhaps the riskiest element of the scheme.
    — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
  • There are similarities between the two cities — hard-working people who can be bristly, but also kind and genuine.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of bristly
Verb
  • People are herby, people are lemony, people are mustardy, bursting at the taste buds with umami.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Morgan Stanley shrugged off the bubble-bursting concerns, with its Global Investment Committee reiterating a year-end S&P 500 target of 8,000 and a mid-2027 target of 8,300—bullish territory, not a bust.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of bursting
Verb
  • The Gators were storming up the rankings behind first-year coach Jon Sumrall and igniting the chomp in the Swamp.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There’s not a single version that doesn’t end with Tommy storming out of the room.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of storming
Adjective
  • All were toothy, seething numbers, and all were terrifically fun.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But after 90-plus minutes against Cape Verde on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium, the smiles turned to seething expressions and consternation.
    — Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026
Definition of seething
Verb
  • During the session, moderated by Grace Barber-Plentie, BFI London Film Festival programmer, the star repeatedly drew applause and laughter from an adoring crowd that left the room buzzing about Ackie’s passion and natural charisma.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
  • During the camp’s first seven days, the activity log filled with nearly 665 observations, mostly federal agents buzzing around their location.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of buzzing
Verb
  • Jean Massillon, who became a prominent voice against gang violence after his mountainous enclave became a battleground in Haiti’s raging violence, has died, the country’s central government announced on Friday.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Flames were raging on the undercarriage of the car and smoke was billowing into the air.
    — Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of raging
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
  • 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
Definition of boiling
Verb
  • Simmons has been out since training camp, with what head coach Andy Reid more recently called a bulging disc in his back.
    — Sam McDowell October 12, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Like clockwork, Khloé’s eye starts bulging out, Kylie Jenner grows a tail, and Kourtney’s face becomes a fingernail.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bulging

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Cite this Entry

“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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