Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bristly
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."
Vocabulary lists containing bristly
The One and Only Ivan
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Lemonade War
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Idris makes his rookie character bristly yet endearing, with the thin-skinned transparency of a generation raised to measure its worth in likes.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
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 observed species are classified as baleen whales, which have a large bristly whalebone at the front of their mouth to filter feed, instead of teeth.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2023
Lit by a headlamp, the hamster-size bat has a tuft of bristly hair under its nose and tiny eyes tucked close to its ears.
From Science Magazine • Oct. 11, 2023
Fenoglio plucked a hair from one nostril, looked at it as if he couldn’t believe anything quite so bristly grew in his nose, and flicked it away.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
