bristle
bristle Lexical Profile
bristle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A short, stiff, coarse hair on an animal's skin or a person's face, or a similar synthetic fiber used to make brushes.
"The artist selected a paintbrush with stiff hog bristles to apply the thick oil paint."
• verb
To react angrily, defensively, or indignantly, typically by drawing oneself up stiffly.
"She tended to bristle at any suggestion that her research methods were outdated."
To stand stiffly upright like bristles (of hair or fur), or to make hair or fur stand upright in fear or anger.
"The stray dog's fur began to bristle as the stranger approached the gate."
To be thickly covered, filled, or abundant with something (usually followed by 'with').
"The final contract bristled with complex legal clauses and conditions."
• Rhymes for bristle
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English bristel, a diminutive of Old English byrst ('bristle'), ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'sharp point' or 'projection'.