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
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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
- restlessly adverb
- restlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of restless
First recorded before before 1000; Middle English restles, Old English restlēas; rest 1, -less
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.
While still in New Zealand, suffocating in suburban Wellington, she had described herself as a “restless soul” with “a rapacious appetite for everything and principles as light as my purse.”
Christopher had expected the sea around the island to be wild, perhaps with ten-foot waves or some other ferocious way of holding people within, but the sea was only the sea: restless, gray, without malice.
From Literature
This book is one of restless movement and passionate hope.
What “Black Dahlia” ultimately imprints on its readers is Short’s vulnerability and desperation, someone more restless than “man-crazy,” more kindhearted than “cold.”
From Los Angeles Times
A heated blanket can warm your bed, but an electric mattress pad stays in place and is easier for restless sleepers.
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.
