BRISTLING Synonyms: 216 Similar and Opposite Words

bristling 1 of 2

adjective

as in bristly

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Dissimilar Words

bristling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bristle

as in bursting

to be copiously supplied a recent college grad thrilled to be starting a new life in a city bristling with possibilities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in storming

to express one's anger usually violently the man bristled at the accusation, and threatened to file a lawsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of bristling

Adjective

That gives it a bristling relevance. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025 Mason gives him a somewhat civilized welcome but has too much bristling nervous energy to be trusted. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Verb

Agnes, the tender, bristling English associate about which this film spins, does have the wardrobe and wit of my favorite adjuncts. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026 The result is an album that retains the bristling energy of the band’s debut but yet feels refreshingly loose. — Jason P. Woodbury, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026 In the New Mexico desert, a pair of stations bristling with antennas captured radio waves coming out of a dozen separate lightning strikes. — Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2026 Writers who spoke with Deadline on Friday waved off most talk of the ceremony, bristling at any insinuation that the blame for the strike fallout should lay at the feet of the staff. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026 Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect. — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026 Conservative Justices, bristling at insinuations of bias or partisanship, like to point to the significant share of cases that are decided unanimously. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 30 June 2026 Young Washington, a new biopic, gives us pre-Revolutionary George, early-20s George, pale, petulant, virginal, ramrod-straight, and bristling with awkwardness and ambition. — James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment after bristling at a question from a CNN journalist during a Pentagon briefing last month on the Iran war. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling

Adjective

During the summer ski jumping season when competitors slide down ceramic or porcelain tracks and land on bristly plastic mats, the team tried to adjust to the new ski suit dimensions.

— Brian Melley, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Their typically bristly fur is peppered with shades of brown and gray, with a white underbelly.

— Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026

Definition of bristly

Verb

But with the righty and the Yankees donning stars and stripes themed jerseys, bombs began bursting in the humid Bronx air shortly after Saturday’s game began.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
Behind them, downtown streets filled with supporters waving banners and fireworks bursting overhead—a pre-match spectacle Toronto had never experienced.

— Shelby Blackley, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of bursting

Verb

They were easily beaten by Brazil in the final match of the group stage, and their head coach Steve Clarke came in for criticism after storming out of his post-match interview before stepping down from his role when their exit was confirmed on Saturday.

— Charlie Scott, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Listen to Hoffman discuss storming out of the Emmys in the Bald and the Beautiful episode above.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 23 June 2026

Definition of storming

Adjective

But after 90-plus minutes against Cape Verde on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium, the smiles turned to seething expressions and consternation.

— Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026
For days, my inbox filled with seething emails, and I was tagged in social media posts full of personal and professional smears – all for defending Bezos and the company millions of Americans use every day.

— Nicole Russell, USA Today, 21 May 2026

Definition of seething

Verb

Vic makes some baffling choices here, buzzing in twice on the first word in the series without hearing the rest, and getting eliminated from multiple rounds five seconds in.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 30 June 2026
Between record-setting parades, military flyovers, and fireworks on the National Mall, the district will be buzzing on Independence Day.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2026

Definition of buzzing

Verb

Meanwhile, the jet stream — following the arc around the heat dome — is carrying wildfire smoke up north to Minnesota and the Upper Midwest from raging wildfires in Utah, Arizona and Colorado.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
That's the word from fire officials across the nation during the heart of fireworks season, and especially out west, where wildfires are raging.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 June 2026

Definition of raging

Adjective

More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.

— Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Definition of boiling

Verb

As the influence of the Daoism of Celestial Masters spread, Zhang Daoling would also come to be seen as a powerful deity in his own right, often depicted with bulging eyes and wearing a red robe, accompanied by a tiger.

— Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani waddled through the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 4-3 comeback victory against the Padres on Friday night, the bulging ice wraps around his left knee and right arm creating a penguin-like effect to his gait.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of bulging

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“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bristling

adjective

verb

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