Word of the Day

: September 30, 2007

restive

adjective RES-tiv

What It Means

1 : stubbornly resisting control : balky

2 : marked by impatience or uneasiness : fidgety

restive in Context

The audience grew restive as the scholar introducing the acclaimed poet droned on and on.

Did You Know?

"Restive" ultimately comes from the Anglo-French word "rester," meaning "to stop, resist, or remain." In its earliest use, "restive" meant "sluggish" or "inactive," though this sense is no longer in use. Another early sense was "stubborn, obstinate." Specifically, "restive" often referred to horses that refused to do as commanded. This general application to unruly horses may have influenced the development of the "fidgety, impatient" sense of "restive." Some usage commentators have objected to this newer sense, but it has been in use for well over a century, and is now the more common of the uses.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.