as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
although pigs look hairless, they're actually bristly creatures
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bristly
Like farmers tilling and watering their fields, the yeti crab dutifully tends its crop by waving its bristly arms.
—
Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2011
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
See All Example Sentences for bristly
Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2011
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
See All Example Sentences for bristly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bristly
Adjective
-
This is a film that extends beyond the traditional three acts, told with the same shaggy style that has defined a lot of Lee’s recent features (including the fantastic Da 5 Bloods and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Aug. 2025
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Look for their distinctive shaggy caps on small stems.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The snow is often just beginning to melt, and scruffy yellow patches of grass appear like small, hairy scabs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
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Can the Cubs feel confident that their relievers will deliver them through a hairy situation when the chips are down?—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This set is also made from long-staple cotton and features a sateen weave for a soft and silky finish.—
Brittney Morgan,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Aug. 2025
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The finish is long, silky, and dessert-like, with lingering maple sweetness and a whisper of charred oak.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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