restless

adjective rest·less \ ˈrest-ləs \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: restless in a Sentence

Definition of restless

1 : lacking or denying rest : uneasy

a restless night

2 : continuously moving : unquiet

the restless sea

3 : characterized by or manifesting unrest especially of mind

restless pacing

; also : changeful, discontented

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restlessly

adverb

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restlessness

noun

See restless defined for English-language learners

See restless defined for kids

Examples of restless in a Sentence

restless children who can't sit still
The audience was becoming restless.
He started to feel restless and discontent in his job.

Recent Examples of restless from the Web

Diners enjoy a six- or nine-course tasting menu by celebrated Basque chef David Garcia while listening to the restless guitars and fast-moving feet of the 8 p.m. flamenco show.

— andrew ferren, WSJ, "How to Spend an Indulgent Day in Madrid for $2,400—or $400," 13 June 2018
Tony’s restless spirit will roam the earth in search of justice, truth and a great bowl of noodles.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "Anthony Bourdain dead: Barack Obama posts touching tribute, Eric Ripert mourns loss of 'a dear friend'," 8 June 2018
Similarly, his concert was less a victory lap than a testimonial to a career defined by a restless musical search.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Paul Simon still searching after all these years," 7 June 2018
Most of his drawings hum like that restless beehive.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "A different sort of scan in ‘The Beautiful Brain’," 6 June 2018
The Capitals were forced to clear the puck down the ice multiple times, resulting in a few icings and many restless fans inside the arena.

— tyler horka, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Final: Capitals Dominate in Game 3 Win Against Golden Knights," 2 June 2018
But the South Pacific possession 10,000 miles from Paris has long been a restless corner of Victor Hugo’s homeland.

— a. odysseus patrick, Washington Post, "A bit of France in the South Pacific votes this year on independence," 1 June 2018
The fourth member of Ghetto Gastro, its cofounder Jon Gray, surveys the restless scene.

— jason parham, WIRED, "Welcome to the Social Media ‘Black Power Kitchen’ of Tomorrow," 29 May 2018
My second daughter was a colicky, restless baby whose only relief came from being bounced on a big plastic exercise ball.

— erin zimmerman, The Cut, "The Identity Transformation of Becoming a Mom," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'restless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of restless

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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restless Synonyms

RESTLESS Defined for English Language Learners

restless

adjective

Definition of restless for English Language Learners

: feeling nervous or bored and tending to move around a lot : not relaxed or calm
: unhappy about a situation and wanting change
: having little or no rest or sleep