1. Having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
   "a horse with a short bristled mane";
   - barbed, barbellate, briary, briery, bristly, burred, burry, prickly, setose, setaceous, spiny, thorny

1. Have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles
   "bristling leaves"
    
2. Rise up as in fear
   "The dog's fur bristled";
   - uprise [archaic, literary], stand up
    
3. React in an offended or angry manner
   "He bristled at her suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program"
    
4. Be in a state of movement or action
   "The garden bristled with toddlers";
   - abound, burst

See also: armed

Type of: feature, have, react, rear, reply, respond, rise up

Encyclopedia: Bristle