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Glite Dictionary
🦔 Covered with bristles 😠 Showing irritation
abristle

abristle

1 9.9
Covered with short stiff hairs that stand up
  • adjective
  • /əˈbrɪsəl/
  • Archaic
: erizado
  • After the haircut, his head was abristle with short, stiff hairs.

Examples

  • The old paintbrush was abristle with dried paint and rough fibers.

  • The hedgehog was abristle as it sensed danger nearby.

  • The cat was abristle.

  • Look at that dog, it's abristle!

  • The hedgehog was abristle as it sensed danger nearby.

  • After the haircut, his head was abristle with short, stiff hairs.

  • The old paintbrush was abristle with dried paint and rough fibers.

Synonyms

bristly
vsabristle
3 4.6

Covered with short, stiff hairs that feel rough

specifies upright hairs or fibers rather than merely short or spiny covering
bristled
vsabristle
1 4.5

Covered with many short stiff hairs or small sharp points

emphasizes upright hairs or fibers rather than any stiff covering
setaceous
vsabristle
  • Specialized
9.9

Having many short stiff hairs like those on a brush

is the general upright hair or fiber condition, not just technical term
bristlelike
vsabristle
7.7

Having short stiff hairs like a brush

means having upright hairs or fibers rather than just resembling them

Antonyms

bare
301 2.2

Not covered or protected, showing the plain surface

smooth
224 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

How Bristly

spiky
15 3.3
prickly
17 3.3
abristle
  • Archaic
1 9.9
hairy
149 1.0
fuzzy
48 1.1

Surface Forms

abristle positive

Morphology

abristle = bristle (semi-transparent) = a + bristle

The link to 'bristle' is clear, but the adjectival a- pattern is uncommon in modern English and may not be fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Abristle comes from the old prefix a- meaning 'on' or 'in' and the word bristle, which means a stiff hair or short, rough fiber. So abristle literally means 'covered with bristles', like a brush or an animal with hairs standing up.