bristle

[ bris-uh l ]

/ ˈbrɪs əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bristle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.

anything resembling these hairs.

verb (used without object), bris·tled, bris·tling.

to stand or rise stiffly, like bristles.

to erect the bristles, as an irritated animal (often followed by up): The hog bristled up.

to become rigid with anger or irritation: The man bristled when I asked him to move.

to be thickly set or filled with something suggestive of bristles: The plain bristled with bayonets. The project bristled with difficulties.

to be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed by up).

verb (used with object), bris·tled, bris·tling.

to erect like bristles: The rooster bristled his crest.

to furnish with a bristle or bristles.

to make bristly.

Nearby words

Origin of bristle

before 1000; Middle English bristel, equivalent to brist (Old English byrst bristle, cognate with German Borste, Old Norse burst) + -el diminutive suffix

Related formsbris·tle·less, adjectivebris·tle·like, adjectivenon·bris·tled, adjectiveun·bris·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bristled

Asked about the role he played, and the impact of his famous name, Goldwater bristled a bit.
Scenes from the GOP Civil War|Eleanor Clift|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Kelley bristled at the notion that women were supposed to be offended by the video.
‘Blurred Lines,’ Robin Thicke’s Summer Anthem, Is Kind of Rapey|Tricia Romano|June 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Rios Montt staunchly defended his actions against what he termed a deadly enemy, and bristled at the suggestion of genocide.
Guatemalan Dictator Efrain Rios Montt Guilty of Genocide|Mac Margolis|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cheri Young bristled in her stylish blue dress, her shoulder-length hair let loose from the ponytail of the day before.
Cheri Young, the ‘Steel Magnolia’ of the Edwards Trial, Shoves Back|Diane Dimond|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST

According to network sources, Olbermann bristled at the amount of money being invested in his show.
Keith Olbermann’s Firing at Current TV Could Be his Ruin or his Salvation|Rebecca Dana|March 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The whole of the capital had turned out—a picturesque mob, every man of which bristled with arms.
Albania|E. F. Knight
Well, whenever any one said anything to her she bristled all up, as if there was going to be an argument.
Dawson Black: Retail Merchant|Harold Whitehead
He urged the dog, who bristled and growled and showed his teeth.
Simon the Jester|William J. Locke
I've wounded a more terrible one than any boar that ever bristled.
The Danger Mark|Robert W. Chambers
Mrs. Jordan bristled, and launched herself upon a long and virtuous sentence.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird

British Dictionary definitions for bristled

bristle

/ (ˈbrɪsəl) /

noun

any short stiff hair of an animal or plant

something resembling these hairtoothbrush bristle

verb

(when intr , often foll by up) to stand up or cause to stand up like bristlesthe angry cat's fur bristled

(intr sometimes foll by up) to show anger, indignation, etcshe bristled at the suggestion

(intr) to be thickly covered or setthe target bristled with arrows

(intr) to be in a state of agitation or movementthe office was bristling with activity

(tr) to provide with a bristle or bristles

Derived Formsbristly, adjective

Word Origin for bristle

C13 bristil, brustel, from earlier brust, from Old English byrst; related to Old Norse burst, Old High German borst

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bristled (1 of 2)

bristle

Old English byrst "bristle," with metathesis of -r-, from Proto-Germanic *bursti- (cf. Middle Dutch borstel, German borste), from PIE *bhrsti- from root *bhars- "point, bristle" (cf. Sanskrit bhrstih "point, spike"). With -el, diminutive suffix.

Word Origin and History for bristled (1 of 2)

bristle

c.1200 (implied in past participle adjective bristled) "set or covered with bristles," from bristle (n.). Meaning "become angry or excited" is 1540s, from the way animals show fight. Related: Bristling.

bristle

noun

verb (used without object), bris·tled, bris·tling.

verb (used with object), bris·tled, bris·tling.

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Origin of bristle

Examples from the Web for bristled

British Dictionary definitions for bristled

bristle

noun

verb

Word Origin for bristle

Word Origin and History for bristled (1 of 2)

bristle

Word Origin and History for bristled (1 of 2)

bristle