restless

[ rest-lis ]
See synonyms for restless on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by or showing inability to remain at rest: a restless mood.

  2. unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart.

  1. never at rest; perpetually agitated or in motion: the restless sea.

  2. without rest; without restful sleep: a restless night.

  3. unceasingly active; averse to quiet or inaction, as persons: a restless crowd.

Origin of restless

1
First recorded before before 1000; Middle English restles, Old English restlēas; see rest1, -less

Other words for restless

Other words from restless

  • rest·less·ly, adverb
  • rest·less·ness, noun

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

How to use restless in a sentence

  • But as a salesman, he's actually quite a natural, restlessly promoting a product that doesn't look any prettier than he does.

    Mayor of Inspiration | Samuel P. Jacobs | October 10, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Gray returned no answer, moving restlessly up and down before the door in a fever of excitement and dread.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • He spoke as if he would conciliate the ghastly shades that moved restlessly up and down, when suddenlySanders, dont be a fool!

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • Restlessly he moved about the room, and finally dressing, he left the hotel for his daily call on Mildred.

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • His eyes were glittering, although he had dropped his lids, and he did not sit down, but moved restlessly about the room.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • Howel was silent, seeming to look curiously at the golden toy in the priest's hand, as it shifted restlessly backward and forward.

    A Prince of Cornwall | Charles W. Whistler

British Dictionary definitions for restless

restless

/ (ˈrɛstlɪs) /


adjective
  1. unable to stay still or quiet

  2. ceaselessly active or moving: the restless wind

  1. worried; anxious; uneasy

  2. not restful; without repose: a restless night

Derived forms of restless

  • restlessly, adverb
  • restlessness, 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