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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That charming and shaggy approach is fitting for such a campy and irreverent comedy, ultimately substituting polish for an equal mixture of artistic grit and careless joy.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
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Last Wednesday, the hotel was swarmed with guys sporting shaggy haircuts, all looking like Geese frontman Cameron Winter.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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The threat that these hairy tanks (some can weigh over 1,500 pounds) pose to drivers is so great that Volvo, a brand synonymous with safety, built their own life-sized rubber replica.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
18 June 2026
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People had expectations of Mike Myers, because of SNL and Wayne’s World — not everybody was going along with this idea of the bad teeth, hairy body and taking the piss out of Bond.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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This Laura Geller hydrating primer creates a silky-smooth canvas that grips your foundation for all-day wear.—
Madeline Merinuk,
PEOPLE,
20 June 2026
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Think silky crème caramel with boozy prunes, strawberry Bakewell with clotted cream, or a velvety dark‑chocolate mousse cake—best finished with a glass of 20‑year‑old Tawny port from Portugal’s ‘River of Gold’.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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