- present participle of bristle.
bristling
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.
“I don’t know what a ‘John Turturro type’ is,” he says, bristling slightly at the suggestion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Mr. Gibney provides a useful overview of an eventful life but frequently veers off-track into bristling hyperbole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
He admits now many in China have "material abundance" and "skylines bristling with high-rises and streets teeming with traffic."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
“Well, a cat is a horrible thing with a long tail. It’s covered with fur and has bristling whiskers and when it fights it makes fierce, spiteful noises. It’s cunning, see?”
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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