Synonyms of restlessness

restlessness

noun

1

as in turmoil

a disturbed or uneasy state

the restlessness of the crowd was apparent as it waited to learn whether the football player was seriously injured

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turmoil
• unrest
• excitement
• anxiety
• uneasiness
• tension
• confusion
• unease
• disquiet
• turbulence
• upheaval
• restiveness
• agitation
• fermentation
• ferment
• chaos
• trouble
• disruption
• commotion
• unquietness
• storm
• Sturm und Drang
• anarchy
• stir
• perturbation
• disquietude
• tumult
• unsettlement
• disorder
• hubbub
• tumultuousness
• fidgets
• uproar
• inquietude
• queasiness
• moil
• welter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ease
• peace
• tranquility
• calm
• quiet
• peacefulness
• order
• orderliness

2

as in boredom

the state of being bored

she began to pick at the grass near her hammock out of sheer restlessness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boredom
• ennui
• weariness
• tedium
• melancholy
• listlessness
• blahs
• lethargy
• doldrums
• dullness
• indifference
• lifelessness
• monotony
• languor
• joylessness
• lassitude
• torpidity
• cheerlessness
• languidness
• torpor
• apathy
• unconcern
• sameness
• dispiritedness
• monotonousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fascination
• absorption
• involvement
• excitement
• enchantment
• stimulation
• engagement
• immersion
• engrossment
• captivation
• bewitchment
• animation
• amusement
• beguilement
• relief
• entertainment
• invigoration
• enlivenment
• diversion

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of restlessness

Your restlessness could tempt you to overindulge, overspend or seek validation, so check in with yourself first and foremost. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026

Generalized anxiety may manifest itself in depression, compulsion or restlessness. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

But Field, whose perpetual restlessness had driven his climb to business success, wasn’t suited to sit on the sidelines. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2026

Psychologists who study cognitive ability and thinking styles have found that certain forms of restlessness aren’t incidental to a sharp mind. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Threading through all their stories is a wild bird – stolen from the forest, peddled in markets, caged in a home – whose restlessness becomes an emblem of every character’s longing to be free. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 June 2026

And again… The Wave is usually a sign of crowd restlessness, a move for fans to entertain themselves when they aren’t being entertained by the event in front of them. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Beginning with the pilot, there’s also been an appealing restlessness to Kate, a loose physicality and prideful disregard for glamour. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026

Regular movement reduces tension, worry and restlessness, even short bouts can calm the mind and body. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026