hackles
Britishplural noun
-
the hairs on the back of the neck and the back of a dog, cat, etc, which rise when the animal is angry or afraid
-
anger or resentment (esp in the phrases get one's hackles up, make one's hackles rise )
Explanation
If that mean-looking doggie has his back arched, teeth bared and the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up straight, walk away slowly. You've raised his hackles, or instilled a feeling of anger. In the technical sense, hackles are the hairs or feathers that grow right at the back of an animal's neck. You know, the things that spike up on a scared cat or angry rooster. But in the human world, raising someone's hackles means you've made them boiling mad or super annoyed. For example, spitting spit balls while the teacher isn't looking is sure to raise her hackles. And land you in detention.
Vocabulary lists containing hackles
Their Eyes Were Watching God
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The Grapes of Wrath
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
On the one hand, she was viewed as the Trad Wife With Orchestra; “Stand By Your Man” could raise feminist hackles all the way back to Seneca Falls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
It was supposed to be published in 2023, the culmination of a direct-democracy initiative that immediately raised the hackles of agriculture lobbies that accused the government of threatening their livelihoods.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Brennan began to ask if Ross was back on the street and working in Minneapolis when Noem got her hackles up.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
Among those he ministered to were two female prisoners, one of them a Muslim, which raised some hackles in the Vatican.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
“Either that,” said Dozer, his hackles rising, “or they’re just using the storm as an excuse to dump their dogs!”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
