What does "hackle" mean?
An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
Hackle
/ˈhækəl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
- Grammar: hackle is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: align, anger, annoy, broom.
- Useful contrasts: appease, bare neck, calm.
- Usage evidence: When the dog got angry, his hackles rose and he growled.
How to use "hackle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hackle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hackle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hackle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hackle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hackle" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "align" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hackle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp. countable, uncountable
- 2 long slender feather on the necks of e.g. turkeys and pheasants wordnet
- 3 One of the long, narrow feathers on the neck of birds, most noticeable on the rooster. countable, in-plural, uncountable, usually
- 4 A feather used to make a fishing lure or a fishing lure incorporating a feather. countable, uncountable
- 5 By extension (because the hackles of a rooster are lifted when it is angry), the hair on the nape of the neck in dogs and other animals; also used figuratively for humans. countable, in-plural, uncountable, usually
"When the dog got angry, his hackles rose and he growled."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A type of jagged crack extending inwards from the broken surface of a fractured material. countable, uncountable
- 7 A plate with rows of pointed needles used to blend or straighten hair. countable, uncountable
- 8 A feather plume on some soldier's uniforms, especially the hat or helmet. countable, uncountable
- 9 Any flimsy substance unspun, such as raw silk. countable, uncountable
- 10 Pluck; courage or energy. slang, uncountable
""COME ALONG YE GRASS-COMBERS, SHOW some hackle," David Ingram, striding ahead, turned back and called."
Verb
- 1 To dress (flax or hemp) with a hackle; to prepare fibres of flax or hemp for spinning.
"Then, with a smile that seemed to have all the freshness of the matutinal hour in it, she bent again to her work of hackling flax."
- 2 comb with a heckle wordnet
- 3 To separate, as the coarse part of flax or hemp from the fine, by drawing it through the teeth of a hackle or hatchel. transitive
- 4 To tear asunder; to break into pieces. archaic, transitive
"the other divisions of the kingdom being hackled and torn to pieces"
Example
"When the dog got angry, his hackles rose and he growled."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hackle"?
Common synonyms include: align, anger, annoy, broom, card, cleaning.
How do you use "hackle" in a sentence?
When the dog got angry, his hackles rose and he growled.
How do you pronounce "hackle"?
Pronounced /ˈhækəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English hakle (compare the compound meshakele), from Old English hæcla, hacele, from Proto-Germanic *hakulǭ, equivalent to hack + -le. Cognate with Dutch hekel, German Hechel.