Meaning & use
bristle
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short, stiff hair or hair-like fiber, found on animals, plants or brushes.
Grammar: Often plural when you mean the hairs of a brush: the bristles of a toothbrush.
Patterns
- the bristles of something
The bristles on the old toothbrush had bent flat.
A wild boar's back is covered in coarse bristles.
The cactus had tiny bristles that stuck into my fingers.
verbintransitive
To show anger or annoyance, often suddenly, in reaction to something said or done.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at or with: she bristled at the suggestion.
Patterns
- bristle at something
- bristle with something
He bristled at the suggestion that he had made a mistake.
She bristled when strangers commented on her accent.
The other drivers bristled at the new rules.
verbintransitive
To stand up stiffly, as the hair or fur of an animal does when it is frightened or angry.
Grammar: No object; the thing that stands up is the subject: the cat's fur bristled.
Patterns
- something bristles
The dog's fur bristled as the stranger approached the gate.
The hairs on my neck bristled when I heard the noise.
The cat bristled and hissed at the intruder.
verbintransitive
To be full of or covered with something sharp or numerous, such as weapons or problems.
Grammar: Almost always followed by with: the plan bristled with difficulties.
Patterns
- bristle with something
The fortress bristled with cannons.
The report bristled with technical terms that few readers understood.
The old fence bristled with rusty nails.
Word forms
| plural | bristles |
|---|---|
| third person singular | bristles |
| past tense | bristled |
| past participle | bristled |
| -ing form | bristling |
Common combinations
- bristle at
- Teenagers often bristle at being told what to do.
- bristle with
- The garden bristled with weeds after the rain.
- stiff bristles
- A scrubbing brush with stiff bristles removed the stain.
- boar bristle brush
- She brushed her hair with a soft boar bristle brush.
- bristle with anger
- The crowd bristled with anger at the announcement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bridle
- Bridle means to show resentment by drawing your head back, and it is usually about pride or offense.
- take offense
- Take offense is a plain phrase for feeling insulted, whereas bristle emphasises the visible reaction.
- seethe
- Seethe means to be very angry inside without showing it, while bristle shows the anger outwardly.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bristle or brittle?
bristle vs brittle
Brittle means hard and easy to break, but bristle is about stiff hairs or showing anger.
Practice
She ___ at the suggestion that she had cheated.
Choose one answer.
Bristled at means reacted with anger or irritation, which fits being accused of cheating. Relented, apologized and gloated do not take at in this sense or fit the accusation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bristle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.