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.
In Cameroon, the Pope will visit the capital Yaoundé, the economic hub Douala, and the Anglophone city of Bamenda in the restive Northwest region, where an armed conflict has been raging for nearly 10 years.
From BBC
According to the police, at least 16 officers were wounded and 13 arrests made at the demonstration in Tirana, the latest in a series of restive anti-governmental rallies called by opposition leader Sali Berisha.
From Barron's
The military has long presented itself as the only force guarding restive Myanmar from rupture and ruin.
From Barron's
But Jewan concealed an anti-colonial streak and Sikh activists gathered to talk rebellion at a retreat he built on the Ravi River, which zigzags across what is now the restive border between Pakistan and India.
The countries have fought two wars over the restive region.
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.
