bristlier; bristliest
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
Examples of bristly in a Sentence
although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
Recent Examples on the Web
Step 3: Tidy the Harvest When the garlic is fully cured with papery skins and brittle, brown leaves, brush away any excess soil with your fingers and clip back the bristly roots.
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Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2024
The authors dutifully report that each pappus, the bristly head of a seed, contains 100 rod-like filaments on average, each about 7.4 mm long and 16.3 μm thick.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2018
Hedgehogs are small mammals, known for their coats, which are covered with bristly spines.
—Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2021
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 
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2024
The authors dutifully report that each pappus, the bristly head of a seed, contains 100 rod-like filaments on average, each about 7.4 mm long and 16.3 μm thick.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2018
Hedgehogs are small mammals, known for their coats, which are covered with bristly spines.
—Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2021
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bristly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bristly
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bristly. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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