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
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With their thick, shaggy fur, the 5-month-old wolves are better adapted to the cold.—
Emily Mullin,
Wired News,
7 Apr. 2025
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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
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Stunning images from the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest Fighting fish, thirsty camels and hairy shrimp are all featured among the winning images of the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
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The lack of dihydrotestosterone receptors across the rest of our bodies explains why these areas can remain hairy even after our hairlines have lost their fight against these hormonal changes.—
RJ Mackenzie,
Popular Science,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The velvet texture keeps even silky fabrics in place.—
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Apr. 2025
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This silky moisturizer is clinically proven to shorten your skin’s adjustment period to retinoids while reducing dryness with a barrier-restoring blend of lipids—specifically ceramides, natural cholesterol, and fatty acids.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bristly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bristly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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