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Glite Dictionary
to bristle at

to bristle at

8 7.4
Show sudden anger or annoyance because of something someone says
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : enfurecerse
  • Privately, senior officials at Justice bristle at suggestions that they underestimated the magnitude of the litigation and did not pursue it vigorously.

I know what it's like to bristle at authority.

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Examples

  • Many Europeans, particularly ex-Warsaw Pact countries, bristle at Russia's behavior.

    Blog text (18)

  • I know what it's like to bristle at authority.

    Film Courage

  • "Increasingly, people bristle at the terms retirement, elderly, senior adult.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Why they do not bristle at the ridiculous caricatures on TV is absolutely beyond me.

    Blog text (31)

  • But Neves bristles at this criticism.

    Academic text (2010)

  • But some of Strasburg's teammates also bristle at the narrative.

    Blog text (22)

  • Czechs generally bristle at any German claims to victimhood.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Inside, the brothers bristle at Jack's boldness.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I think some HP readers would bristle at the notion, judging from the comments there about us.

    Blog text (10)

  • She tends to bristle at any criticism of her work.

Synonyms

to bristle
vsto bristle at
19 7.0

To react with sudden anger or offense

is the same sudden angry reaction to words or actions
to chafe
vsto bristle at
10 6.8

To feel annoyed by rules or repeated problems

is a sudden angry reaction, not slow irritation from ongoing problems
to bridle at
vsto bristle at
1 8.4

To feel offended when someone says or does something you dislike

reacts suddenly with anger or irritation rather than slow resentment
to bridle
vsto bristle at
1 9.0

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

reacts more generally with sudden anger rather than by drawing up
to bristle up
vsto bristle at
7.9

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

is the same sudden visible anger response to remarks or acts
to bridle up
vsto bristle at
  • Informal
9.1

To react angrily and show offended pride when criticized

is a general sudden angry response rather than an upward gesture
to become prickly
vsto bristle at
7.6

To react angrily or feel hurt when criticized

reacts more suddenly and angrily rather than becoming only sensitive

Antonyms

to accept
∞ 3.5

To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining

to tolerate
290 3.5

Endure something unpleasant without complaining

How Angry

to lash out
71 5.6
to protest
283 3.2
to bristle at
8 7.4
to take exception
  • Jargon
18 8.4

Surface Forms

bristle at infinitive
bristled at past
bristled at past participle
bristling at present participle
bristles at third person singular

Morphology

bristle + at

The verb 'bristle' already encodes 'show sudden anger or take offense', and the preposition 'at' simply marks the target of that reaction. This is a directly compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb bristle at comes from the image of an animal whose bristles, the stiff hairs, stand up when it feels afraid or angry. So when someone bristles at a remark, they react quickly and show they are 'angry' or 'offended'.