Word of the Day Archive
Wednesday January 15, 2003
restive \RES-tiv\ , adjective:
1. Impatient under restriction, delay, coercion, or opposition; resisting control.
2. Unwilling to go on; obstinate in refusing to move forward; stubborn.
He turned restive at the least attempt at coercion.
-- Ouida, Held in Bondage
Broadcasters, along with the commercial gambling industry, have grown increasingly restive under the advertising prohibition.
-- Linda Greenhouse, "Justices Strike Down Ban on Casino Gambling Ads", New York Times, June 15, 1999
The people remarked with awe and wonder that the beasts which were to drag him to the gallows became restive, and went back.
-- Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II
He proved as ready a scholar as he had been indocile and restive to the pedant who held the office of his tutor.
-- William Godwin, Caleb Williams
Restive comes from Medieval French restif, from rester, "to remain," ultimately from Latin restare, "to stand back, to remain behind," from re-, "back" + stare, "to stand."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for restive
