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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Other highlights from the week included the Tory Burch show, where Pamela Anderson sported a shaggy blonde bob and joined stars from Marcello Hernandez and Amanda Seyfried to Tessa Thompson and Myha'la.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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Showing off a pair of shaggy front bangs, Klum finished off her monochromatic look with skintight latex leggings and a pair of sky-high scarlet stilettos.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Played by more than ten babies at various ages, young Kuula is an unusual child, hairy and large for his age, with an early appetite for meat and a curiously harsh quality to his bawling.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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Looking ahead, the work to safeguard northern hairy-nosed wombats is far from finished.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Large, round, and flat, lupini beans somewhat resemble fava beans, while their firm, silky texture is similar to edamame.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
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Nothing Bundt Cakes teamed up with Dove to create this chocolate cake filled with raspberry puree and topped with a silky Dove chocolate heart.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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