bristly

[ bris-lee ]

adjective

, bris·tli·er, bris·tli·est.

1. covered or rough with bristles.
2. like or resembling bristles.
3. easily antagonized; irascible:

   a bristly person with few friends.

Other Words From

• bristli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bristly¹

First recorded in 1585–95; bristle + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The new bristly shapes created by the magnets now take these hard-working particles to the next level.

From Science News For Students

His hair is less gray than it is now, less bristly, more floppy.

From The Daily Beast

The hair was stiff and bristly, and stood out in every direction, while the beard matched it in growth and quantity.

From Project Gutenberg

Clark glanced down at his own shabby clothes and rubbed a rough, bristly chin.

From Project Gutenberg

His muzzle is thick and long; his eyebrows are rough and bristly: his ears black, and almost naked.

From Project Gutenberg

There are two tufts of hair, of a bright yellow, below the ears, and another tuft of bristly hair upon the top of the head.

From Project Gutenberg

They were all legs and teeth and bristly fur, the meat almost inedible.

From Project Gutenberg