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
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 The irony, though — of companies building AI agents that can autonomously access users’ most sensitive data across multiple platforms while bristling at government scrutiny of the same technology — is difficult to miss. — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 10 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
  1. bristly
  2. bursting
  3. storming
  4. seething
  5. buzzing
  6. raging
  7. boiling
  8. bulging
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
Definition of bristly
Verb
  • After bursting onto the first-team scene under Jurgen Klopp in 2022-23, his career has stalled repeatedly because of injuries.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Most economists now seem to agree that the immediate threat of a recession has passed, but that does not mean there is not concern about inflation, geopolitical tensions or a bursting AI bubble knocking the economy off track.
    — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2026
Definition of bursting
Verb
  • As for the ever-competitive Lead Actress category, CBS’ Beyond the Gates is finally storming the Emmys after debuting last February.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
  • There was a dominant Mercedes driver storming to yet another victory, crushing the hopes of a title rival.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of storming
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of seething
Verb
  • The buzzing platforms are showing up in gyms, physical therapy clinics and living rooms, and the questions keep coming.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
  • In it, four contestants solve jumbled words and phrases that unscramble right before their eyes; as the tiles unscramble, the clues get easier, and the player buzzing in with the most correct answers earns a shot at the $10,000 grand prize.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Definition of buzzing
Verb
  • Flames from raging wildfires engulfed a train that was evacuating residents in Ontario, Canada.
    — Gina Park, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, raging forest fires and a red-alert heat wave are shaking up France’s biggest national holiday, forcing the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters’ balls.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 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
  • With a mouth that can stretch out as wide as rubber and eyes that seem perpetually on the verge of bulging out of their sockets, Campbell is the closest live-action screen actor equivalent cinema has ever had to Bugs Bunny.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
  • As the influence of the Daoism of Celestial Masters spread, Zhang Daoling would also come to be seen as a powerful deity in his own right, often depicted with bulging eyes and wearing a red robe, accompanied by a tiger.
    — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 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 20 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bristling for Spanish Speakers

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