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
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
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Welles, a singer-songwriter with a shaggy, dirty-blond mane and a sandpapery voice, has risen to recent prominence posting videos to social media of himself alone in the woods near his home in northwest Arkansas, performing wryly funny, politically engaged folk songs.—
David Peisner,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
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Average retail prices range from $215 to $495 for the line, which includes vibrant jackets with circular-type sleeves, miniskirts and a shaggy wool coat.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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None of that hairy high school fake this, do what we're told.—
Jim Reineking,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Common winter annual lawn weeds include hairy bittercress, various chickweeds, purple deadnettle and its cousin henbit, and Veronica/speedwell.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Mattifying Primer $36 Sephora This Fenty primer has a transparent, silky texture that glides onto the skin and doesn’t leave a white cast—something that can’t be said about many other primers.—
Brigitt Earley,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 2025
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Squalane oil, glycerin and peptides reduce fine lines and improve skin texture while delivering silky hydration and boosting your nighttime skincare routine.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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