bristling 1 of 2

adjective

as in bristly

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bristling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bristle
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

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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

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
Central Market, released in 2009, proved that his idiosyncratic melodic sensibility could translate to a more symphonic setting, with the Wordless Music Orchestra giving his giddy, loop-heavy compositions a bustling, bristling density. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026 El-Sayed and his allies are bristling at that tactic, since Obama has remained neutral in the Senate primary. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 15 July 2026 The irony, though — of companies building AI agents that can autonomously access users’ most sensitive data across multiple platforms while bristling at government scrutiny of the same technology — is difficult to miss. — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 10 July 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 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 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristling
  1. bristly
  2. bursting
  3. storming
  4. seething
  5. buzzing
  6. raging
  7. boiling
  8. bulging
Adjective
  • There are similarities between the two cities — hard-working people who can be bristly, but also kind and genuine.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of bristly
Verb
  • The wealth of the richest Americans has torqued upward, bursting through the top of the graph, with no end in sight, completely untethered from the rest of the United States.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Murphy has built an empire by keeping a full-to-bursting pipeline of shows and returning to certain creative wells.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of bursting
Verb
  • Or what about storming the field, the tradition that follows a momentous win, when order dissolves and players brace themselves for a horde of fans pouring out of the stands.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • That’s been the story of this third season, one that started with Rhaenyra storming the castle and taking the Iron Throne and then promptly saw her get picked apart by dozens of unforeseen calamities.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of storming
Adjective
  • All were toothy, seething numbers, and all were terrifically fun.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of seething
Verb
  • The dreamy setting is an ideal spot to drop anchor for a relaxing swim, snorkel, and linger over a bottle of local wine under umbrella pine trees buzzing with cicadas.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Now, two new heartthrobs of the 2020s have joined the party, with Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie and Manchester City footballer Erling Haaland both buzzing their notable hairstyles in favor of a summery buzz cut.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of buzzing
Verb
  • The response to Congo’s raging Ebola epidemic has been hampered by a severe lack of funding and pervasive misinformation, according to people on the front lines.
    — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Overnight, raging flames cotinued moving through Palo Pinto County, turning the night sky orange and filling the area with smoke as the Ross Fire grew.
    — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 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
  • Infants may act sluggish or not active, vomit, be unusually fussy, face poor feeding, show a bulging soft spot on the head, or show poor reflexes.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Padmini came in about ten minutes later, carrying a net bag bulging with okra and shiny gourds.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of bulging

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Cite this Entry

“Bristling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristling. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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