restless

[ rest-lis ]
See synonyms for restless on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by or showing inability to remain at rest: a restless mood.

  2. unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart.

  1. never at rest; perpetually agitated or in motion: the restless sea.

  2. without rest; without restful sleep: a restless night.

  3. unceasingly active; averse to quiet or inaction, as persons: a restless crowd.

Origin of restless

1
First recorded before before 1000; Middle English restles, Old English restlēas; see rest1, -less

Other words for restless

Other words from restless

  • rest·less·ly, adverb
  • rest·less·ness, noun

Words Nearby restless

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use restless in a sentence

  • He grew very restless, for it was a long time before Grandfather Mole appeared.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • When the short-skirted, gossamer clad nymphs made their appearance on the stage they became restless and fidgety.

  • The moon was coming up, and its mystic shimmer was casting a million lights across the distant, restless water.

  • Never had Tom seen his gay and careless cousin in such guise: he was restless, silent, intense and inarticulate.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • The Belmont house was closed, the still restless Helena occupying a palace in Rome at the moment.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for restless

restless

/ (ˈrɛstlɪs) /


adjective
  1. unable to stay still or quiet

  2. ceaselessly active or moving: the restless wind

  1. worried; anxious; uneasy

  2. not restful; without repose: a restless night

Derived forms of restless

  • restlessly, adverb
  • restlessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012