Meanings
verb
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of bristle
adjectivebristled (comparative more bristled, superlative most bristled)
comparative more bristled · superlative most bristled
- Having bristles
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivehaving or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishbristled
- Englishbristled
From Middle English bristled, ibrustled, iburstled, equivalent to bristle + -ed.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
bristled. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristled
MLA
“bristled.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristled. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bristled,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristled.
Source: bristled on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.