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Glite Dictionary
to bridle at

to bridle at

1 8.4
To feel offended when someone says or does something you dislike
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : indignarse
  • We can easily bridle at the distortions by conservatives seeking to broaden their audience and position themselves for advances in a post-Clinton administration.
  • bridled at the suggestion
  • bridled at the notion
  • bridled at the idea

And again, you know, certain groups will bridle at this, but there are violent lesbians out there who will attack women.

Examples

  • He bridled at the frequent, obligatory pauses for station identification: "If they did that in the theaters, people would burn up."

    Academic text (2007)

  • What I think you want is power over me, which I do bridle at.

    The Libertine (2004)

  • Other countries will bridle at an international order in which the United States plays only by its own rules.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Of course, many thoughtful environmentalists bridle at such proposals.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Mexican populists and U.S. protectionists continue to bridle at the supposed loss of sovereignty, jobs, and investment.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Nonetheless, U.S. officials bridled at the fact that the Turkish government presented the deal to Tehran as a way to spare it from more sanctions or from having to suspend its uranium-enrichment program.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Last year, some OpenStack proponents bridled at what they saw as Rackspace's control of the open source cloud effort, only joining after Rackspace started to move the work to a more independent foundation model.

    Blog text (31)

  • Many parents bridle at the idea of their children using smartphones at such a young age.

  • She tends to bridle at any criticism of her artistic choices.

  • Voters may bridle at proposed tax increases during a recession.

Synonyms

to resent
vsto bridle at
248 4.1

To feel angry and upset about something unfair

is a response of indignation or resentment often more sudden than enduring
to bristle
vsto bridle at
19 7.0

To react with sudden anger or offense

is a reaction of indignation or resentment beyond mere visible tension
to frown at
vsto bridle at
16 2.3

Give someone a worried or angry look to show you do not like them

is a stronger offense reaction of indignation or resentment than a frown
to bristle at
vsto bridle at
8 7.4

Show sudden anger or annoyance because of something someone says

is a response showing offense or resentment not limited to suddenness
to bridle
vsto bridle at
1 9.0

To show sudden anger or feel offended, often by becoming stiff

is a response of indignation rather than a sharp physical gesture
to bridle up
vsto bridle at
  • Informal
9.1

To react angrily and show offended pride when criticized

is a reaction of offense or resentment without implying bodily posture
to bristle up
vsto bridle at
7.9

Show sudden anger, often by becoming tense in the face or voice

is a general response of indignation rather than only sudden visible change
to take huff
vsto bridle at
  • Informal
8.5

To get upset because you think someone treated you badly

is a reaction of indignation or resentment rather than mild sulking
to throw a snit
vsto bridle at
  • Informal
8.7

To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly

is a response of indignation or resentment rather than childish exaggerated fits
to radge over
vsto bridle at
  • UK
9.9

Get very angry or upset about small things

is a measured reaction of indignation or resentment rather than extreme anger

Antonyms

to forgive
∞ 1.4

To stop feeling angry at someone or yourself for a mistake

to accept
∞ 3.5

To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining

How Offended

to seethe
18 7.3
to bridle at
1 8.4
to take issue
45 6.3

Surface Forms

bridle at infinitive
bridled at past
bridled at past participle
bridling at present participle
bridles at third person singular

Morphology

bridle + at

The verb 'bridle' already carries the meaning 'to take offense or bristle', and the preposition 'at' simply marks the target of that reaction; thus the phrase's meaning is directly derivable from its parts. This verb + preposition composition is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Bridle at comes from a horse's bridle, the straps on a horse's head that a rider uses to pull the horse's head back when it does not like something. So when someone bridles at a remark they draw back like that horse, which gives the meaning 'to show anger or take offense'.