1
as in uneasy
lacking or denying rest
the worried mother spent a restless night, tossing and turning in bed for hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anxious
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the figure skater was visibly restless as she waited for her scores to be posted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of restless
Dog Day Afternoon is a definitive '70s film, with its gritty, unpolished vision of a restless New York and a dark sense of humor in its portrayal of a heist gone horribly wrong.
—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Uranus in Gemini is restless, curious, and spontaneously versatile.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Consider restless nights a thing of the past.
—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
11 June 2026
Police made 56 arrests after Wednesday’s game after crowds on the streets turned restless.
—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for restless
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Uranus in Gemini is restless, curious, and spontaneously versatile.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Consider restless nights a thing of the past.
—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
11 June 2026
Police made 56 arrests after Wednesday’s game after crowds on the streets turned restless.
—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for restless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restless
Adjective
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As the nation gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, most Americans feel uneasy about their present, and pessimistic about their future, polls show.
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Sanders takes an uneasy step, into his wonderful, painful childhood.
Adjective
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Though fans are anxious to see Andrade return to more events, her job in Rio is done.
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Homeless, his body torn, Odysseus needs to get back to her and Telemachus, his anxious son, and to clean up the mess.
Adjective
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For Kelly, the Mexican release is also another chapter in the unlikely afterlife of a film that has continued to attract new audiences long after its troubled theatrical debut.
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De la Espriella promised El Salvador-style mega-prisons, while Cepeda promised to salvage Petro’s troubled ‘total peace’ talks with rebel groups.
Adjective
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That normalization may be the most disturbing aspect of all.
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Although the project is unlikely to affect Jackson’s popularity much, some of the revelations uncovered during the investigation are disturbing.
Adjective
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People who live in the area are unsettled this could happen at a popular playground.
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Atkinson similarly makes collages, carefully weaving each phrase into the next to create unsettled atmospheres.
Adjective
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American supporters were tense through the second half, in which both teams were tied until the final play, when Türkiye tipped in a buzzer-beating goal to win the match 3-2.
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In Edward Zwick's tense Civil War drama about the first all-Black Army regiment, freedmen and freedom seekers volunteer to prove to white America and themselves that liberty is worth dying for.
Adjective
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However, while voters are restive and angry, this ungovernability cannot all be blamed on them.
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Social-welfare programs had kept the working classes from becoming restive.
Adjective
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Oprah selected it for her book club; at her compound in Montecito, Whitehead was so nervous that her staff insisted on blow-drying the damp patches of his dress shirt before they were introduced.
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The low unemployment rate had made many economists nervous, including some on the Fed.
Cite this Entry
“Restless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restless. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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