to bristle
5
5.6
- verb
- /ˈbrɪsəl/
:
rebosar de
- Now the pageant in the forest is bristling with baroque elements.
But the Greek culture that conquered the world was, or at least could seem, a finished thing, bristling with unassailable classics.
- But the Greek culture that conquered the world was, or at least could seem, a finished thing, bristling with unassailable classics.
Examples
-
Already, Tokyo Teleport Town bristles with monumental and unusual new buildings.
Academic text (1998) -
Beyond are several windowless concrete structures bristling with microwave antennas and satellite dishes.
Fiction book (1998) -
I loved the sense of history of this place that seemed to bristle with atmosphere.
Blog text (1) -
Every single night, New Hope Baptist Church bristled with activity.
Fiction book (1996) -
As a result, cemeteries bristle with dramatic crypts built above ground.
Academic text (2002) -
From its parking lot, a wedge of Greenwood Cemetery could be seen bristling with headstones.
Fiction book (1999) -
The forest bristles with life during the summer, with birds singing and animals moving about.
-
The bustling market bristles with energy as vendors shout their prices and customers haggle.
-
Her mind bristled with ideas as she prepared for the presentation, eager to share her thoughts.
Synonyms
81
3.9
Become suddenly full of people, sound, or colour
52
4.2
Be present in large numbers
33
4.2
To move quickly and busily while doing many small tasks
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
1
3.7
A brush with short, stiff hairs for cleaning or painting rough surfaces
- Specialized
A small fern with thin, often almost clear leaves that grows on trees or mossy banks
A grass that has curved flower spikes and long stiff hairs under each small flower
- Specialized
A fern with soft, hairy creeping stems that look like a rabbit's foot
How Lively
5
5.6
12
4.2
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb bristle later grew a figurative use from being 'covered with bristles' to meaning 'be full of' something. So if a place or thing 'bristles' with people or ideas, it is full of them and full of lively activity.