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 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 Snapping open and shut the phone satisfied some deep, restless urge, and the same was true for the rotational flourish of the wrist involved in opening and closing the knife. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026 The basal ganglia get better at their job during the first thirty years of life; this is partly why kids are more impulsive and restless than adults. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 The 16-track set is a truly thrilling journey through the relentless ambition and restless psyche of a young Black woman who’s dedicated her life to navigating the notoriously tumultuous music industry. — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 12 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
  • Giving team members insight into what is known, what remains unchanged and what may come next can help people navigate uneasy periods of uncertainty with greater confidence.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Experts say Chinese officials likely felt uneasy about that opening.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
  • An anxious child Apart from her scribbled notes, scant details are available about Runa’s experience in detention, according to her lawyer Yoshihiro Mukai.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • Ramaswamy, who is challenging Democrat Amy Acton for the governor’s seat, has come under attack from some critics for airing a campaign ad this week featuring Acton’s estranged mother slamming her daughter as a troubled liar.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Betancourt’s legal problems stemmed from his role in troubled Venezuelan energy projects during the corrupt rule of former President Hugo Chávez.
    — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • For Daughtry, who was dispatched to work the crash by his editor that day, the assignment was one of the most disturbing of his career.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This disturbing contradiction suggests that different physical laws apply to the observer and the observed.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • However, the lack of a hybrid option, the touchscreen-heavy climate controls, and the occasionally unsettled ride prevent the Atlas from separating itself from the pack.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But instead of bringing unsettled weather, the offshore storm helped produce cloud-free skies from Maine to Florida.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsettled
Adjective
  • The tax came up in a conversation between the two after negotiations between Zuckerberg and the committee appeared to grow tense.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In this tense political climate, Becker said, even straightforward election mistakes are magnified on social media and become the subject of conspiracy theories, making the job of local elections officials much more difficult.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • Mattel thwarted restive shareholders by inviting one of them to come inside and play.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Pakistani security forces killed five militants in an intense shootout and freed 23 hostages in the country’s restive southwest, the military said Sunday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of restive
Adjective
  • Since the incident, the flamingo has been doing all right physically but is more anxious and nervous when being evaluated, said Peachy’s veterinarian, Tiffany Moore, medical director of Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.
    — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All