restless
Americanadjective
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characterized by or showing inability to remain at rest.
a restless mood.
-
unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart.
-
never at rest; perpetually agitated or in motion.
the restless sea.
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without rest; without restful sleep.
a restless night.
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unceasingly active; averse to quiet or inaction, as persons.
a restless crowd.
adjective
-
unable to stay still or quiet
-
ceaselessly active or moving
the restless wind
-
worried; anxious; uneasy
-
not restful; without repose
a restless night
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of restless
First recorded before before 1000; Middle English restles, Old English restlēas; see rest 1, -less
Explanation
When you're restless, you find it hard to sit still or concentrate on anything. An audience often grows restless when they're waiting for the second act of a play to start and there's an unexpected delay. If you think of restless as "unable to rest or relax," you'll know exactly what it means. You might have a restless night if you can't fall asleep and spend hours tossing and turning. A bunch of elementary school kids listening to a boring speech will grow restless in a way that's hard to miss, since they're bound to be squirming in their seats.
Vocabulary lists containing restless
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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Vocabulary from "Community is the 'killer app' missing from virtual reality" by Dmitri Williams
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Don't Panic! Synonyms for "Stress"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The classification of these side effects as "uncommon" for Restless Legs Syndrome was correct, it added.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
She appeared in “Icahn: The Restless Billionaire,” the HBO documentary about activist Carl Icahn, and was part of a WSJ team that won a Gerald Loeb Award in 2021 for coverage of Amazon’s business practices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
Restless for something better, the self-coached Crouser searched the internet for information and applied concepts from upper-level engineering courses he took in college before switching his major to economics.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2024
Restless leg syndrome can cause an unpleasant crawling sensation in the legs and an overwhelming urge to move them.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024
Restless, Mandela eventually gave in and joined the Under Fifteens.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
