restive

[res-tiv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR restive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

refractory; stubborn.

refusing to go forward; balky: a restive horse.

Origin of restive

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

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

Can be confusedrestful restive

Synonyms for restive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR restive ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Antonyms for restive

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

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

Related Words for restiveness

ailment, agitation, unrest, uneasiness, disturbance, disquiet, ferment, inquietude, movement, nervousness, turmoil, insomnia, unease, disquietude, bustle, turbulence, hurry, anxiety, jitters, activity

Examples from the Web for restiveness

Contemporary Examples of restiveness

Hindu restiveness over representation of the faith in Western culture has grown over the years.
Animated Film Roils Hindus in Queens
Salil Tripathi
July 24, 2011

Historical Examples of restiveness

Her restiveness is absolutely alluring, and excites all my hunting instinct.
Man and Maid
Elinor Glyn
He paused, then added, "I think it's just as well to walk off my restiveness if I can."
The Tyranny of Weakness
Charles Neville Buck
Its ancestors in the sixteenth were notorious for their restiveness.
The Agrarian Problem in the Sixteenth Century
Richard Henry Tawney
In other parts of the city, however, signs of restiveness were visible.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army
Charles Alexander Gordon
Lady Cantire (perceiving that the Bishop is showing signs of restiveness).
Lyre and Lancet
F. Anstey

British Dictionary definitions for restiveness

restive

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 restiveness

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.