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
- restively adverb
- restiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of restive
1375–1425; rest 2 + -ive; replacing late Middle English restif stationary, balking < Old French: inert
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 countries have fought two wars over the restive region.
From BBC
Yet, however destructive to his personal life, Matthiessen’s restive, yearning nature animated the best of his fiction.
For Delhi, the challenge is not just managing a fallen ally in exile, but preserving a neighbour central to its security - from counterterrorism and border management to access to its restive north-eastern region.
From BBC
Oddly, as Mike Burry’s investors grew restive, his Wall Street counterparties took a new and envious interest in what he was up to.
From Literature
Many Labour MPs are sympathetic to this move, which could make a future vote awkward for a restive party because the leadership has always resisted calls to go that far.
From BBC
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.
