as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of bristly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Called Utah arrays, they are made of hard silicon and look a bit like the bristly part of a hairbrush.
—
WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022
Thirteen Lives reminds me of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 for its bristly character moments, people caught in extremis.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022
Sandstrom’s most recent Squonk is a hairy, wart-covered monster with bristly, unkempt fur, fangs, and ears that curve down submissively.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 19 Apr. 2020
Often, as a bonus, a librarian or teacher will lean in to give Daisy a kiss on her bristly snout, to general glee from the young audience.
—Nora McGreevy, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
See all Example Sentences for bristly 
WIRED, 19 Aug. 2022
Thirteen Lives reminds me of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 for its bristly character moments, people caught in extremis.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022
Sandstrom’s most recent Squonk is a hairy, wart-covered monster with bristly, unkempt fur, fangs, and ears that curve down submissively.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 19 Apr. 2020
Often, as a bonus, a librarian or teacher will lean in to give Daisy a kiss on her bristly snout, to general glee from the young audience.
—Nora McGreevy, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near bristly
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share