bristle

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: bristly, brittle, gristle, brustle, abristle, bristole, kristle

Antonyms: bristly, brittle, gristle, brustle, abristle, bristole, kristle

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. A [[stiff]] or [[coarse]] [[hair]] on a {{l|en|nonhuman}} {{l|en|mammal}} or on a [[plant]].
2. A {{l|en|chaeta}}: an analogous {{l|en|filament}} on {{l|en|arthropod|arthropods}}, {{l|en|annelid|annelids}}, or other {{l|en|animal|animals}}.
3. The hairs or other filaments that make up a [[brush]], [[broom]], or similar item, typically made from plant {{l|en|cellulose}}, animal hairs, or synthetic {{l|en|polymer|polymers}}.

Verb

1. {{lb|en|intransitive}} To [[rise]] or [[stand]] erect, like bristles.
2. {{lb|en|intransitive|usually with [[with]]}} To [[abound]], to be covered with, or to have an abundance of, something, especially something jutting out.
3. {{lb|en|intransitive|usually with [[at]] or [[with]]}} To be on one's [[guard]] or [[raise]] one's [[defenses]]; to [[react]] with [[fear]], [[suspicion]], or [[distance]].
4. {{lb|en|transitive|now|_|rare|_|or|_|obsolete}} To make (something) [[rise]] or [[stand]] erect, like bristles. {{defdate|from 16th-early 20th c.}}
5. {{lb|en|transitive|uncommon}} To cause (someone) to be on one's [[guard]] or [[raise]] one's [[defenses]].
6. {{lb|en|rare}} To fix a bristle or bristles to.

Proper noun

1. {{lb|en|slang|humorous}} [[Bristol]], [[England]] (in imitation of the local [[dialect]])

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.