bristly

American  

[bris-lee] / ˈbrɪs li /

adjective

bristlier, bristliest

1. covered or rough with bristles.

2. like or resembling bristles.

3. easily antagonized; irascible.

   a bristly person with few friends.

---

Other Word Forms

• bristliness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bristly

First recorded in 1585–95; bristle + -y ¹

Explanation

Bristly things are spiky or barbed, like a porcupine. When you get an old-fashioned shoe shine, your shoes will be cleaned with a bristly brush. You can describe a certain type of hair as bristly — if it sticks up in tufts and spikes like a hedgehog's quills. A man's beard stubble is bristly too, and so are spiky bushes and scruffy dogs. Figuratively, if you're bristly, you're cranky and easily irritated: "He spoke carefully, trying not to upset his bristly grandfather."

Example Sentences

The Solihull-born coach had become bristly with the media during his time in England in high-pressured jobs.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

Advances by Gillette that made everyday shaving less painful—and the rise of bristly adversaries like Stalin and Hitler—drove American politicians into a long period of clean-shavedness.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

But despite its bristly concept, “The End” largely forgoes any direct images of annihilation, settling into a vast underground bunker with seemingly endless resources well after most humans have perished.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2024

The other carried a bristly stick, with which they used to scratch the cephalopods’ sensitive skin.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2024

Ginger Jack’s face was hidden behind a bristly orange beard, and his speech was unintelligible.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin