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
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Recent Examples of restless
An unprecedented legacy Lovano, celebrated as a fearless explorer of sound, has carved out a career defined by restless creativity.
—
Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Stella’s restless energy in wanting to fix things spurs her to arrange an impromptu trip for them to Amsterdam.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Nigerian city of more than 20 million people is renowned for its hustle and bustle, its restless energy and commercial drive — a place where honks from signature yellow passenger buses fill the air.
—ABC News, 14 Feb. 2026
Gainsbourg plays Charlotte’s protective sister, while Hellmann stars as a restless artist caught between love and loyalty and McAlpine plays a young aspiring dancer.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for restless
Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Stella’s restless energy in wanting to fix things spurs her to arrange an impromptu trip for them to Amsterdam.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Nigerian city of more than 20 million people is renowned for its hustle and bustle, its restless energy and commercial drive — a place where honks from signature yellow passenger buses fill the air.
—ABC News, 14 Feb. 2026
Gainsbourg plays Charlotte’s protective sister, while Hellmann stars as a restless artist caught between love and loyalty and McAlpine plays a young aspiring dancer.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for restless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restless
Adjective
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Many travelers feel 'uneasy' about going abroad.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
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The United States and Israel’s widening war with Iran has stricken an already uneasy global economy with a new bout of uncertainty.—
Mirtha Donastorg,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The film is at its best building tension and showing us just how anxious life is under dictatorial rule.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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The anxious impatience of being en route has permeated cootie catcher’s music since their earliest releases in 2021.—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Van Gogh attribution, for instance, was subsequently matched by more conventional research, including technical analyses and studies of the artist’s letters (museum experts concluded that the portrait’s unusually dampened colors simply reflected Van Gogh’s troubled mental state at the time).—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
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Her panel’s core thesis is that historically, in troubled times, people rewrite the rules, build better systems and make things better.—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What followed was even more disturbing.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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That would be a particularly disturbing piece of real hate mail Kubrin received late last year after she was quoted in a news story about immigration and crime.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Before the front gets here, the region should expect more seasonable temperatures and a higher chance of rain, but more unsettled weather may arrive over the weekend.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
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Around this time last year, not long after the transfer portal opened, Western Kentucky women’s basketball coach Greg Collins started to feel a little unsettled.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The atmosphere in El Portal Village Hall was tense during the 2 1/2-hour meeting that took place days after the demolition.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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The World Baseball Classic rolls on, and Team USA lives to see another day after a tense first few innings spent watching Team Italy and Mexico on Wednesday.—
Johnny Flores Jr,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Pakistan's military, in a statement, said 26 militants, including at least one Afghan, were killed in four separate operations in North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Mir Ali districts in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent days, near the Afghan border.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Sarwar’s decision to call for Starmer to step down could embolden restive Labour lawmakers to do the same.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The across-the-board beat may help settle a nervous investor base, at least for the time being, as Oracle’s results and backlog point to a continuing surge in demand for AI infrastructure.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
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Projections by Paramount’s management team that at least $6 billion in cost savings will result from the merger have made all of Hollywood nervous, but especially the workforce at WBD.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Restless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restless. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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