restive Hear it!

restive Definition

res·tive (restiv)

adjective

  1. refusing to go forward; balky, as a horse
  2. hard to control; unruly; refractory
  3. nervous or impatient under pressure or restraint; restless; unsettled

Etymology: ME restyfe < OFr restif < rester: see rest

restive Related Forms

res·tively adverb res·tive·ness noun

restive Synonyms

restive

modif.

  1. Restless

    unsettled, impatient, fidgety; see restless 1.

  2. Contrary

    balky, unruly, refractory, stubborn; see contrary 4, obstinate. See syn. study at contrary.

restive Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

get: The consultants are getting a bit restive about their negotiations.

Modifying Another Word

  • increasingly: The old bureaucracy, particularly the increasingly restive military caste, is pressing for an increasingly aggressive foreign policy.
  • too: Another is that some parts of central Iraq populated by the once dominant Sunni community remain too restive to assure a large voter turnout.

Used with adjective complement

  • grow: The English colonies, with the enemy thus in their rear, grew ever more restive.
  • become: A territory where no presence is maintained could become restive, causing production to suffer, or even rebel.
  • get: The French, we heard, were getting restive.

Modifies a noun

  • population: In response to their restive populations, governments are likely to return to protective barriers.
  • minority: That could inspire Turkey's own restive Kurdish minority.
  • horse: That was a man in hunting costume, and he rode a spirited and restive horse.
  • city: Seven policeman were killed in an insurgent assault on a police checkpoint outside the restive city of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad.
  • youth: C.A.N. may no longer be able to contain our restive youths should this ugly trend continue.
  • crowd: Simultaneously, the restive crowd threw stones and attempts were made to rush the building.