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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boredom
the state of being bored
she began to pick at the grass near her hammock out of sheer restlessness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of restless
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The 18th season picks up six months after prisoners attack Voit, leading his restless followers on the dark web to begin wreaking havoc all over the country.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
At one point, the crowd in Los Angeles was growing restless, Ms. Reese said, with people pushing one another to reach the front.
—Alisha Haridasani Gupta, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Last weekend, the sun was particularly restless, unleashing eight M-class solar flares between Friday and Monday.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restless
Adjective
In fact, he has presumably been forced into restless retirement, for reasons unspecified but easy to guess.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The 18th season picks up six months after prisoners attack Voit, leading his restless followers on the dark web to begin wreaking havoc all over the country.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
At one point, the crowd in Los Angeles was growing restless, Ms. Reese said, with people pushing one another to reach the front.
—Alisha Haridasani Gupta, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Last weekend, the sun was particularly restless, unleashing eight M-class solar flares between Friday and Monday.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restless
Adjective
-
Today, hydrogen bombs have replaced atom bombs in most arsenals, creating a world of uneasy standoffs among nuclear foes.—
William J. Broad,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
-
With the rage virus still raging, a group of survivors, including a husband and wife played by Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, lives in uneasy isolation on a fortified island — until one of them crosses the causeway into whatever’s left of the mainland.—
Greg Braxton,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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In the novel’s historical re-creation, is there an anxious note to Americans now losing themselves in accommodation?—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
-
An inaccurate diagnosis might lead to unnecessary or risky treatment, and a false positive can cause stress by requiring additional tests and anxious waits for results.—
Max Votek,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
How a Sustainable Clothing Entrepreneur Spends Her Sundays That remarkable string of turmoil comes as Mr. Trump has sought to enlist the tax collection agency in exacting political retribution.—
Andrew Duehren,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Brown said those Big Tech companies affirming or even raising guidance saved the entire stock market from the massive turmoil in April.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
But Below Deck Down Under has been stuck in a bad cycle all season, where a problem will emerge, escalate, and repeat itself to the point of boredom.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
-
Other times, procrastination stems from an emotional source—boredom, overwhelm, anxiety, dread, and so on.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That movie, shot and released around the same time as his Slauson Rec project was taking shape, revolves around LaBeouf’s troubled relationship with his manipulative father.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2025
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This was not an isolated incident: since its troubled 2019 launch, AP Classroom has been plagued by glitches, confusing user interfaces, and reliability issues.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Proponents have long invoked civil rights language to promote vouchers, a disturbing rhetorical choice given vouchers originated as a tool for southern white parents to avoid the Supreme Court's desegregation order in Brown v. Board of Education.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
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Actress Isabella Rossellini reflects on the film’s disturbing material and autobiographical elements while resisting reductive interpretations.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
This cultural suppression continued for decades, as political unrest escalated and the state’s grip on artistic expression tightened.—
Ali Farahmand,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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But residents say in the aftermath of the unrest, police — even ambulances — avoided coming here.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The final outcome of the race, which was the last remaining unsettled election of the 2024 cycle, seemed uncertain for months as Griffin challenged the validity of about 65,000 ballots cast in the race over various issues.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
7 May 2025
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With the global situation becoming more unsettled, for some that was replaced by BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) starting in 2018. Those frameworks are still useful, but these are very different times.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Restless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restless. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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