restless

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adjective rest·less \ ˈrest-ləs \

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

Trump’s constant pacing and restless movements around the stage attracted attention from Hillary’s words, and visually disrespected her physical presence on the stage, as in ‘

— cleve r. wootson jr. and amy b wang, Washington Post, "Hillary Clinton calls Donald Trump a ‘creep,’ says her ‘skin crawled’ during debate," 23 Aug. 2017
The gadgets have made their way into office buildings and onto subway commutes, dutifully serving as the mindless activity our restless hands crave.

— sonia rao, kansascity, "Kids are over fidget spinners. Adults are just getting into them.," 18 Aug. 2017
The following week was a combination of restless nights and easier ones.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "I Tried Sleeping Under a Weighted Blanket to Cure My Insomnia," 14 Aug. 2017
Later, as a restless adult who quit law school and bounced from job to job.

— dan horn, Cincinnati.com, "Abused by a priest, now a champion of the church," 24 June 2017
Take Bonnie at the movie’s start—carnal, restless, not getting any younger.

— lili anolik, VanityFair.com, "Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael, and an Epic Hollywood Mistake," 19 June 2017
Its 14 clinical features include: manifest contempt for others, loss of contact with reality, restless or reckless actions, and displays of incompetence.

— jerry useem, The Atlantic, "Power Causes Brain Damage," 18 June 2017
Last month, in a bid to avoid a fight with Jana and other restless shareholders, Whole Foods overhauled its board of directors, appointing five new members and replacing the chairman.

— nick turner, Bloomberg.com, "Whole Foods CEO Calls Activist Investor ‘Greedy Bastards’," 14 June 2017
With Dead Rising looking increasingly lifeless, fans of the restless undead will want to keep an eye on this.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "40 must-see PC gaming gems from E3 2017: Watch every trailer," 13 June 2017

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

restless Synonyms

Synonyms

restive, uneasy, unquiet, unrestful

Antonyms

restful

Related Words

agitated, distressed, disturbed, perturbed, troubled, unsettled; aflutter, anxious, dithery, edgy, fidgety, het up, hung up, jittery, jumpy, nervous, nervy, tense, upset, uptight, worried

Near Antonyms

calm, easy, peaceful, quiet, relaxing, tranquil

RESTLESS Defined for English Language Learners

restless

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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