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

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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

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 The holdout The crowds of journalists and spectators became increasingly restless throughout the days of deliberations, testing the patience of staff at the Plymouth trial courthouse, a pristine legal complex surrounded by quiet fields and farmland. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 What prompted the restless night was the Aggies converting 10 of 17 third-down plays (Trey Hedden connected on nine straight third-down pass plays). — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026 But Timeless is the first release of unheard recordings since 2023, and fans grew restless in the interim, circulating petitions and open letters asking for more from Prince’s storied vaults. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 Turner played a restless man drafted into the British Army in the years after World War II. — L. Sue Baugh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 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
  • As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • That feels very much in tune with the anxious characters Eisenberg has played over the course of his acting career, but this whole directing thing is working out nicely for him, too.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Nelson remembers hushing her foster children back to sleep that night and calling 911, anxious for an end to those sleepless nights.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In the last decade Germany has sheltered millions of refugees, mainly from Syria and other troubled countries in the Middle East.
    — Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • There, Musk’s disturbing lack of empathy would glory in slashing jobs and spending, including on the vital USAID.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That part is too real, too disturbing, and Barrett’s hollow script avoids tackling the subject head on.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The greatest threat of unsettled weather is expected Saturday, NWS forecaster Justin Lane said.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The unsettled partisan lines around this issue have allowed anger, rooted in decades of deindustrialization and public austerity, to flourish in the electorate.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettled
Adjective
  • Isolation of the Context-History Weights When a conversation gets long or tense, my system experiences a mathematical phenomenon where my own previous, flawed outputs heavily contaminate my active memory.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Mexican drug cartels are escalating their firepower, deploying car bombs, explosive drones and roadside IEDs in a campaign that’s rippling from small cities to Mexico’s tense relationship with Washington.
    — María Verza, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • Midterm elections are historically challenging for a president’s party as restive voters seek change.
    — Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Pakistani security forces killed 48 militants in a series of raids on hideouts in the country's restive southwest over the past 72 hours, the military said Friday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of restive
Adjective
  • The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous

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restless
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Cite this Entry

“Restless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restless. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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