bristle
3 synonyms for bristle, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A stiff, coarse hair on an animal or plant, or one of the stiff filaments in a brush.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use bristle
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
bristle at
bristle with
the bristles of a brush
stiff bristles
It is used in both everyday and written English.
Etymology
The word comes from Middle English, which took it from Old English. It is traced back through Germanic to a diminutive of an older word for bristle.
Full origin of bristle →Frequently asked questions
What does bristle mean?
As a noun it is a stiff hair or a stiff filament in a brush. As a verb it can mean to react defensively or to be full of something.
What does it mean to bristle at something?
It means to react with irritation or defensiveness towards it.
How do you pronounce bristle?
It is pronounced BRIS-ul, and the t is silent.
