restive

[ res-tiv ]
See synonyms for restive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.

  2. refractory; stubborn.

  1. refusing to go forward; balky: a restive horse.

Origin of restive

1
1375–1425; rest2 + -ive; replacing late Middle English restif stationary, balking <Old French: inert

Other words for restive

Opposites for restive

Other words from restive

  • res·tive·ly, adverb
  • res·tive·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with restive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use restive in a sentence

  • For a long time he had striven to mute Art's musical restiveness.

    Mrs. Bindle | Hebert Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for restive

restive

/ (ˈrɛstɪv) /


adjective
  1. restless, nervous, or uneasy

  2. impatient of control or authority

Origin of restive

1
C16: from Old French restif balky, from rester to remain

Derived forms of restive

  • restively, adverb
  • restiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012