restive
Americanadjective
-
impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.
-
refractory; stubborn.
- Synonyms:
- obstinate, disobedient, recalcitrant
-
refusing to go forward; balky.
a restive horse.
adjective
-
restless, nervous, or uneasy
-
impatient of control or authority
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of restive
1375–1425; rest 2 + -ive; replacing late Middle English restif stationary, balking < Old French: inert
Explanation
To be restive is to be impatient or on edge — it's an edgy state. When you feel like your skin is too tight and your nerves are ready to snap, when you feel ready to explode, you are restive. It's not only people who can be restive: the world suffers from much turmoil, and there are restive areas, where people are unhappy or oppressed and desperate for change. It's that need for change and movement that makes someone restive or eager to move, frustrated at being stuck in one place. This sense of being stuck is obvious in the history of the word, which was first used in the 15th century. It evolved from the Anglo-French adjective restif, which meant "refusing to move ahead." Picture a restive horse, refusing to take a jump.
Vocabulary lists containing restive
Animal Farm
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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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 biggest change from the height of the market is more time to do deeper diligence," said Cameron Peake, partner at Restive Ventures.
From Reuters • Sep. 5, 2023
Restive bonds showed signs of calm on Wednesday, but China’s struggling economy and markets continue to unnerve world markets.
From Reuters • Aug. 16, 2023
Restive moderates in both parties convened in hopes of finding a way out of the shutdown mess, but for now there’s no evidence of a breakthrough that could end the standoff.
From Washington Times • Jan. 21, 2018
Restive soldiers continue to plot and grumble all around them.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2011
Restive, he stalked the fences on his lame leg.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
