bristling

adj, noun — 5 senses

bristling

adj

/ˈbɹɪs(ə)lɪŋ/

1

Having bristles.

2

Reacting with anger or indignation.

Tottenham had hoped to make a statement of real intent against the title pace-setters and while manager Harry Redknapp did not secure the victory he craved, he at least saw his side match United every stride of the way in a game that fizzled out after a bristling start.2011 January 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 0 - 0 Man Utd”, in BBC:

3

Video games UK, Dated Dressed in effective defensive equipment while not seeking a fight.

Derived terms: bristlingly

bristling

noun

1

The act of one who bristles.

When dogs fight, there are usually preliminaries to the actual combat — snarlings and bristlings and stiff-legged struttings. But White Fang learned to omit these preliminaries.1906 May–October, Jack London, White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 3 (The Gods of the Wild), pages 144–145:

2

Alternative Alternative form of brisling.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.