as in bristly
Related Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
-
The aisles of the big box store of your choice are bursting with pool noodles, sunscreen, Pride rainbow sunglasses, and American flags.—
Jennifer Rosen Heinz,
Parents,
17 June 2026
-
The streets were bursting with celebratory fervor.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
But to compare them with Thomas Jefferson or American soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy is absurd and more than a little insulting.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
Trump's displeasure eventually culminated in him ripping off his lapel mic and storming off the set.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
9 June 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
-
The Great Hall at the CBS Philadelphia studios was buzzing all day as an army of volunteers took donations and honored the memory of Alex Scott, the little girl who started it all.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
On Thursday, business was buzzing, perhaps partly because Brittany Mahomes, spouse of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, shared the post on her Instagram page.—
Eric Adler
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Even a raging campfire might throw only 30 or 40 lux.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
This question stabs at the heart of the culture war that is currently raging in America.—
Dr. Matthew Warshauer,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 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
-
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.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The Babe’s advancing age and bulging midsection were the easy targets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
