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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective restive contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of restive are balky, contrary, perverse, and wayward. While all these words mean "inclined to resist authority or control," restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive

When would balky be a good substitute for restive?

The synonyms balky and restive are sometimes interchangeable, but balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness

When can contrary be used instead of restive?

Although the words contrary and restive have much in common, contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child

When is perverse a more appropriate choice than restive?

In some situations, the words perverse and restive are roughly equivalent. However, perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic

When could wayward be used to replace restive?

While the synonyms wayward and restive are close in meaning, wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of restive But the increasing Muslim majority was growing restive. John Carlisle, Freep.com, 31 May 2025 While Pakistani security forces frequently target TTP hideouts in the restive northwest and elsewhere, such operations in Kashmir are rare. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025 Iranian experts have long urged successive U.S. administrations to provide strike pay and other forms of aid to restive workers in the Islamic Republic, with a view to improving human rights and causing regime change from within. Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025 The event threatened to inflame tensions that are rife in the restive city amid nearly 600 days of war in Gaza. Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for restive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restive
Adjective
  • Written by Kaitlin Reilly and Dorian Keyes, the film follows a rebellious bad boy and a type-A overachiever who join forces to win the student body presidency – and maybe each other’s hearts along the way.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In business, as in life, there are times when conformity is an asset, but in others, embracing your individuality, inhabiting your rebellious spirit and being a true trailblazer are what lead to success.
    Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Of the roiling mass of restless natives, cranky artists and tattered idealists who rose up across the Southland this summer to flip off darkness and call America back to its better angels?
    John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
  • While his wife and daughter build a new life in Vienna, Roman stays behind — confused, restless and convinced that things will get better.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The rebel run is the biggest of them all.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.
    Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But to Hollywood, Pusser’s defiant story was irresistible.
    Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
  • A day earlier, at his pre-match news conference, Pochettino sounded defensive and defiant.
    Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Viewers were quick to point out the hilarity of the dog's stubborn protest, with many suggesting that the dachshund had already claimed permanent rights to the bed.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The stubborn myth that Jews are too safe to be targets is colliding with a painful new reality.
    Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Restive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restive. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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