restive
[res-tiv]
- impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.
- refractory; stubborn.
- refusing to go forward; balky: a restive horse.
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Origin of restive
Synonyms
See more synonyms for restive on Thesaurus.com1. nervous, unquiet. 2. recalcitrant, disobedient, obstinate.
Antonyms
1. patient, quiet. 2. obedient, tractable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for restiveness
Contemporary Examples
Hindu restiveness over representation of the faith in Western culture has grown over the years.
Historical Examples
Her restiveness is absolutely alluring, and excites all my hunting instinct.
Man and MaidElinor Glyn
He paused, then added, "I think it's just as well to walk off my restiveness if I can."
The Tyranny of WeaknessCharles Neville Buck
Its ancestors in the sixteenth were notorious for their restiveness.
The Agrarian Problem in the Sixteenth CenturyRichard Henry Tawney
In other parts of the city, however, signs of restiveness were visible.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the ArmyCharles Alexander Gordon
Lady Cantire (perceiving that the Bishop is showing signs of restiveness).
Lyre and LancetF. Anstey
restive
- restless, nervous, or uneasy
- impatient of control or authority
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper