as in bristly
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Dissimilar Words
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
Example Sentences
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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
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.
—
Clarissa Cruz,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
In the New Mexico desert, a pair of stations bristling with antennas captured radio waves coming out of a dozen separate lightning strikes.
—
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment after bristling at a question from a CNN journalist during a Pentagon briefing last month on the Iran war.
—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Agnes, the tender, bristling English associate about which this film spins, does have the wardrobe and wit of my favorite adjuncts.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Writers who spoke with Deadline on Friday waved off most talk of the ceremony, bristling at any insinuation that the blame for the strike fallout should lay at the feet of the staff.
—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.
—
Clarissa Cruz,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
In the New Mexico desert, a pair of stations bristling with antennas captured radio waves coming out of a dozen separate lightning strikes.
—
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment after bristling at a question from a CNN journalist during a Pentagon briefing last month on the Iran war.
—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Agnes, the tender, bristling English associate about which this film spins, does have the wardrobe and wit of my favorite adjuncts.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Writers who spoke with Deadline on Friday waved off most talk of the ceremony, bristling at any insinuation that the blame for the strike fallout should lay at the feet of the staff.
—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
Adjective
-
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.
-
Their typically bristly fur is peppered with shades of brown and gray, with a white underbelly.
Verb
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Best Amazon Prime Day Home Deals Amazon’s home department is bursting with steep Prime Day deals today.
-
Always turn off the electricity and water supply line and remove nearby light fixtures when dealing with bursting ceiling pipes to avoid accidental electrocution.
Verb
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Speedy Jonah Cox replaced Devers, who tried to shoo him away before relenting and storming through the dugout.
-
But to compare them with Thomas Jefferson or American soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy is absurd and more than a little insulting.
Adjective
-
But after 90-plus minutes against Cape Verde on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium, the smiles turned to seething expressions and consternation.
-
As much excitement as the arrival of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd has created for this WNBA franchise, there is just as much seething frustration within the organization at the city of Dallas over an agreement that was announced with great fanfare, only for nothing to happen.
Verb
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London draws more than 30 million visitors annually, and along with its buzzing energy and endless opportunities comes one of the world’s most exciting food scenes.
-
New York City is still buzzing after a historic NBA Finals in which the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years.
Verb
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The market is trying to recover, but elite collectors seemingly want only trophy works; raging global conflicts, economic uncertainty, and political turmoil have whittled demand down to the safest names.
-
So the curiosity about his record collection has been raging away.
Adjective
-
More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.
-
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.
Verb
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Schoenaerts menacingly grins his way through the movie, with appealingly bulging eyes.
-
Tiny bulging eyes form long before the animal resembles a shark at all and its future face exists only as clusters of migrating cells, slowly organizing themselves into the structures that will eventually become jaws, cartilage and sensory organs.
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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