as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
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Recent Examples of bristly
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristly
Adjective
-
With their thick, shaggy fur, the 5-month-old wolves are better adapted to the cold.—
Emily Mullin,
Wired News,
7 Apr. 2025
-
In the first, the sheepdog appears engulfed by a thick coat of long white fur, his face nearly obscured by the shaggy mass.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That seemed like a big, hairy, audacious goal, and one that would motivate me.—
Shimite Obialo,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Flying your favorite spacecraft is as simple as plopping down in the captain’s chair to engage in some hairy dogfights and clandestine patrols over strange worlds or the inky cosmic blackness as the gameplay shifts from a standard FPS to a third-person perspective.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Active Time: 1 hr Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 12 Creamy white lasagna is filled with cheesy layers of pasta, sausage and mushrooms, a silky bechamel, and mozzarella.—
Nicole Hopper,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2025
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The lightweight texture means no greasy residue—just silky, radiant skin.—
Tira Urquhart,
Essence,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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