restive

[ res-tiv ]

/ ˈrɛs tɪv /

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adjective

impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.

refractory; stubborn.

refusing to go forward; balky: a restive horse.

Nearby words

Origin of restive

1375–1425; rest² + -ive; replacing late Middle English restif stationary, balking < Old French: inert

SYNONYMS FOR restive

1. nervous, unquiet. 2. recalcitrant, disobedient, obstinate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR restive ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR restive

1. patient, quiet. 2. obedient, tractable.

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Related formsres·tive·ly, adverbres·tive·ness, noun

Can be confusedrestful restive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for restive

The U.S. launched campaigns in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah and a surge campaign in Baghdad.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The U.S. military is finally starting to train Iraqi troops to fight ISIS in restive Anbar province.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’|Nancy A. Youssef|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The great exception, of course, was Ireland, its most restive component.
Wounds of World War I Have Yet to Heal|Michael F. Bishop|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Friday, the restive Ukrainian parliament, now dominated by her political allies, voted to free her.
Yulia Tymoshenko: She's No Angel|Christopher Dickey|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Levinson pointed to the the SInai Peninsula, the restive swath of desert that links Israel to Egypt.
The Egypt Crackdown and Israeli-Palestinian Talks|Ali Gharib|August 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Attempting to remount, I was as stiff and awkward as an octogenarian, and my restive mule would not stand for a moment.
The Secret Service.|Albert D. Richardson
On the other hand, he began at times to be restive about "the most trifling matters," to the surprise of Yulia Mihailovna.
The Possessed|Fyodor Dostoevsky
Another groom, who was a good swimmer, had been sent back to Rome with a restive horse.
The Story of My Life, volumes 4-6|Augustus J. C. Hare
One shore was restive, uneasy; the other confident, mocking.
A Cumberland Vendetta|John Fox, Jr.
I hear, answered Cinq Mars, with a peevish start, like a restive horse forced forward on a road he is unwilling to take.
Richelieu, v. 1/3|G. P. R. James

British Dictionary definitions for restive

restive

/ (ˈrɛstɪv) /

adjective

restless, nervous, or uneasy

impatient of control or authority

Derived Formsrestively, adverbrestiveness, noun

Word Origin for restive

C16: from Old French restif balky, from rester to remain

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

Word Origin and History for restive

restive

adj.

early 15c., restyffe "not moving forward," from Middle French restif "motionless, brought to a standstill" (Modern French rétif), from rester "to remain" (see rest (n.2)). Sense of "unmanageable" (1680s) evolved via notion of a horse refusing to go forward.

restive

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of restive

Examples from the Web for restive

restive

adjective

Word Origin for restive

restive