as in bristly
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1
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
2
as in storming
to express one's anger usually violently
the man bristled at the accusation, and threatened to file a lawsuit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bristling
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
Katie Campione, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
The seas of the Middle East are bristling with American warships and airpower trained on Iran.
—February 26, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Tour guide Michael Hillman said travelers are bristling at how pricey Las Vegas has become.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
More than any other European leader, Orbán has made a career out of bristling against the EU, despite not seeking to leave it.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Buried in a six-game losing streak, Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll has canned two coordinators — most notably offensive mind Chip Kelly, hired away from national champion Ohio State this offseason to operate a Raiders attack bristling with skill players.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
The real success of King Sorrow, however, is its balancing of stunt and spectacle with the characters’ bristling imperfections.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The path curls beneath bristling columns and then drops steeply over the side.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 8 Nov. 2025
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
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
The seas of the Middle East are bristling with American warships and airpower trained on Iran.
—February 26, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Tour guide Michael Hillman said travelers are bristling at how pricey Las Vegas has become.
—Rajesh Kumar Singh, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
More than any other European leader, Orbán has made a career out of bristling against the EU, despite not seeking to leave it.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Buried in a six-game losing streak, Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll has canned two coordinators — most notably offensive mind Chip Kelly, hired away from national champion Ohio State this offseason to operate a Raiders attack bristling with skill players.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025
The real success of King Sorrow, however, is its balancing of stunt and spectacle with the characters’ bristling imperfections.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The path curls beneath bristling columns and then drops steeply over the side.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
Adjective
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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
Verb
-
In the dotcom era, the economists explained, the economy reflected the latter scenario, where gains failed to show, bursting the bubble.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Lendeborg today feels like an overnight sensation, bursting on the scene in his maize-and-blue out of nowhere.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Fungi aren’t literally storming areas like rain or hail, but storms act as the vehicle while the spores supply the threat.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Dweir said an argument between a resident of Suqaylabiyah and another from Qalaat al-Madiq led to scores of men from the Sunni town storming the area and attacking shops, homes and cars.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The deliberate sparring during mealtime hides a palpable contempt the two warriors have for each other, further displayed as a seething hatred conveyed on Kirk's face as Chang departs back to Kronos One.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
22 Mar. 2026
-
These are hard data outcroppings from a seething sea of online hate.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Numbers aside, the sleeveless look had his teammates buzzing.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The buzzing grew, steady and direct, and the drone emerged from between city buildings, cut through the rain, and stopped inches from Pok.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His raging sickness is realistically captured under James Bridges’ character-sensitive direction.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The current war raging between Iran and Israel — plus the United States — represents a stark departure from the behavior of previous American leaders.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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
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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
Verb
-
The Tar Heel pipeline isn’t exactly bulging with the kind of coach the UNC job could attract.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Penn’s curdled facial expressions, sever buzzcut and bulging biceps morphed him into a cruel lethal weapon, but that performance — like Taylor’s — stayed stuck in the same groove throughout.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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