as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
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Recent Examples of bristly
Step 3: Tidy the Harvest When the garlic is fully cured with papery skins and brittle, brown leaves, brush away any excess soil with your fingers and clip back the bristly roots.
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2024
Called Utah arrays, they are made of hard silicon and look a bit like the bristly part of a hairbrush.
—WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022
Thirteen Lives reminds me of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 for its bristly character moments, people caught in extremis.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022
Hedgehogs are small mammals, known for their coats, which are covered with bristly spines.
—Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for bristly
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2024
Called Utah arrays, they are made of hard silicon and look a bit like the bristly part of a hairbrush.
—WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022
Thirteen Lives reminds me of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 for its bristly character moments, people caught in extremis.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022
Hedgehogs are small mammals, known for their coats, which are covered with bristly spines.
—Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for bristly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristly
Adjective
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This shaggy short bob is so stylish with the addition of razored curtain bangs.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Using a fork, gradually draw the flour into the liquid until a shaggy dough begins to form.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Buried deep in a mound of tribbles and emerging from the hairy pile of creatures, Kirk handles himself admirably, embracing the unfortunate situation with a sense of comedic calm that adds yet another humanistic dimension to the iconic captain's character.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Mar. 2026
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That held up as the GWG — but not without some hairy moments.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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While the apples cook and turn silky, the crust turns into a crumbly topping.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
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This was, naturally, a full Balenciaga look, from the white cape to the matching silky button-down and wide-legged trousers.—
Katherine J Igoe,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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