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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.—
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
-
Steve Hilton has painted California as a state bursting with potential that has lost its way under Democratic leadership in his bid to be the state's first Republican governor in more than 15 years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
-
The Walt Disney Concert Hall shop has become a Dudamel-torium, aisles bursting with Gustavo T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, refrigerator magnets and this and that.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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For all the prior cinematic depictions of storming bunkers and camaraderie under fire, Pressure offers us the quiet heroism of rational restraint in the figure of James Stagg, who weathered his inner storms and bore the courage to be disliked.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
This revolutionary fervor culminated in both Fidel and Raúl, with roughly 140 rebel revolutionaries in tow, storming Cuba’s second-largest military installation, the Moncada Barracks, in July 1953.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
For days, my inbox filled with seething emails, and I was tagged in social media posts full of personal and professional smears – all for defending Bezos and the company millions of Americans use every day.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
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.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s no music overhead, but the buzzing blend of conversations makes for its own iconic orchestra.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
But in 2022, the barrier was breached, and the flies have been relentlessly buzzing northward since.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Cracking the case The Covid pandemic was raging in the spring of 2020 when Congress passed a law that, among other things, provided aid to small businesses and organizations through the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP.—
Rich Schapiro,
NBC news,
3 June 2026
-
As negotiators progress toward a potential deal in Iran, another regional conflict is raging.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 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
-
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
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And, soon, the OCFA crew learns that one of three storage tanks at the plant — one that contains the chemical methyl methacrylate, or MMA — is bulging.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
-
The top of my head had been level with the bulging briefcase the girl had tucked under her arm.—
Annie Ernaux,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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