restless

adjective

ˈrest-ləs How to pronounce restless (audio)
Definition of restlessnext
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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 restless Geographically restless and lonely people everywhere are jealous! — Shayla Love, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026 Mouth taping promises an easy fix for snoring, dry mouth and restless nights, and your TikTok feed may already be full of influencers swearing by it. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026 As for the neighborhood, the Brera district is a favorite of both locals and visitors with its unique atmosphere that combines the best of historic Milan with the restless and infectious energy of the city’s creative scene today. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 Marked by restless lines, these works depict a woman tentatively emerging from a cocoon in a ritual of transformation and emancipation. — Tatiane De Assis, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for restless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restless
  1. uneasy
  2. anxious
  3. troubled
  4. disturbing
  5. unsettled
  6. tense
  7. restive
  8. nervous
Adjective
  • Some Republicans, notably including Vice President JD Vance, have directly blamed their midterm losses on the Iran war, which continues to see intermittent fighting amid an uneasy stalemate.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the musical explores family, artistic ambition and the uneasy passage of cultural knowledge from one generation to the next.
    — James C. Taylor, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • Everyone’s inner monologue is narrated by no less than author Zadie Smith, whose voice-over’s cool assurance forms a productive contrast with the characters’ anxious scrambling.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Even so, a person calling about an arrest or a custody dispute is just as likely to be anxious, and a voice that sounds human but is not can feel like deception, whatever the law requires.
    — Hamid Kohan, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • His arrival will force Violette to confront hidden truths of her troubled past filled with hidden truths.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But when their increasingly dangerous scheme becomes a plan to escape their troubled families, the stakes spiral beyond their control.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • None are pretty; most are striking; many are beautiful; some are disturbing.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocate to the UK because of her father’s disturbing allegations?
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Over the next several days, plan on more fall weather ahead of a colder, more unsettled end to the coming workweek.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • His eligibility case remains unsettled, as Sane signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Utah Jazz in 2024 but never appeared in an NBA game.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of unsettled
Adjective
  • For Spielberg’s tense thriller about the aftermath of the 1972 Olympics massacre, Kaminski looked to the gritty, paranoid cinema of the 1970s.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Activists and residents in various parts of the city — and elsewhere in the Balkan country — have self-organized to paint over anti-student graffiti that were scribbled on buildings during the tense campaign ahead of the ballot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • House Democratic leaders are preparing to welcome moderate members from across the country and a majority big enough to manage comfortably and contain a restive progressive wing.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Democrats have had trouble wrangling a base of voters who should be Democrats but are restive and unsatisfied by the party.
    — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of restive
Adjective
  • Eha Retreat offers a full nervous-system reset through forest rituals and Nordic coziness.
    — Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Nora is stuttery; Michael is relaxed; Saeed is nervous; Johnny is cooler than ice.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of nervous

Browse Nearby Words

restiveness
restless
restlessness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Restless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restless. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All