» bristled

Adjective (1 meaning)

1. having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc..

barbed, barbellate, briary, briery, bristled, bristly, burred, burry, prickly, setose, setaceous, spiny, thorny

Examples:
  • “a horse with a short bristly mane”,
  • “bristly shrubs”,
  • “burred fruits”,
  • “setaceous whiskers”
Derivationally related form:
bristled is similar to:
  • armed (adjective) - (used of plants and animals) furnished with bristles and thorns

» bristle

Words people most associate with “bristle”:

  1. comb,
  2. brush,
  3. hair,
  4. boar,
  5. thistle

[via wordassociation.org]

Noun (2 meanings)

1. a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic.

bristle

bristle is a type of:
  • fiber, fibre (noun) - a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn
bristle is a part of:
  • brush (noun) - an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle
bristle is derivationally related to:

2. a stiff hair.

bristle

bristle is a type of:
  • hair (noun) - a filamentous projection or process on an organism
bristle is derivationally related to:

Verb (4 meanings)

1. be in a state of movement or action.

to abound, burst, bristle

Examples:
  • “The room abounded with screaming children”,
  • “The garden bristled with toddlers”
to bristle is a way to:
to bristle is derivationally related to:
  • burst, fit (noun) - a sudden flurry of activity (often for no obvious reason)

2. rise up as in fear.

to bristle, uprise, stand up

Examples:
  • “The dog's fur bristled”,
  • “It was a sight to make one's hair uprise!”
to bristle is derivationally related to:

3. have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles.

to bristle

Example:
  • “bristling leaves”
to bristle is a way to:

4. react in an offended or angry manner.

to bristle

Example:
  • “He bristled at her suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program”
to bristle is a way to:
  • to react, respond (verb) - show a response or a reaction to something