bristly

adjective

bris·​tly ˈbris-lē How to pronounce bristly (audio)
ˈbri-sə-
bristlier; bristliest
Synonyms of bristlynext
1
a
: thickly set with bristles
a bristly shrub
b
: consisting of or resembling bristles
a bristly mustache
2
: inclined to or showing aggressiveness or anger
a bristly temperament

Synonyms of bristly

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of bristly in a Sentence

although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hedgehogs are small mammals, known for their coats, which are covered with bristly spines. — Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2021 Called Utah arrays, they are made of hard silicon and look a bit like the bristly part of a hairbrush. — WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022 Their typically bristly fur is peppered with shades of brown and gray, with a white underbelly. — Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026 Like farmers tilling and watering their fields, the yeti crab dutifully tends its crop by waving its bristly arms. — Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2011 See All Example Sentences for bristly

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bristly was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

bristliness
bristly
bristly carrot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bristly. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bristly

Nglish: Translation of bristly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All