bristled

VERB

become upset, excited

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bridle fume seethe

STRONG

boil flare rage rise ruffle spit swell

WEAK

be angry be infuriated be maddened blow up boil over flare up get one's dander up see red stand on end

Antonyms

STRONGEST

be happy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

bristled

Shanahan, McVay’s friend/mentor/nemesis, had bristled at the fact that the 49ers were chosen as the Rams’ opponent because it took away the ability of 49ers fans to descend onto SoFi Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

In a tense opening set, Sabalenka bristled with frustration early on as unforced errors crept into her game while Pegula settled quickly and struck the ball cleanly.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The White House has also bristled at Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's repeated warnings about the dangers of AI -- including the impact on jobs.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Aronowitz has bristled at this sort of criticism.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

All the way up through the walls I bristled with things I felt like saying to Lamont, things he needed to hear.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck