restless
Americanadjective
-
characterized by or showing inability to remain at rest.
a restless mood.
-
unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart.
-
never at rest; perpetually agitated or in motion.
the restless sea.
-
without rest; without restful sleep.
a restless night.
-
unceasingly active; averse to quiet or inaction, as persons.
a restless crowd.
adjective
-
unable to stay still or quiet
-
ceaselessly active or moving
the restless wind
-
worried; anxious; uneasy
-
not restful; without repose
a restless night
Other Word Forms
- restlessly adverb
- restlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of restless
First recorded before before 1000; Middle English restles, Old English restlēas; rest 1, -less
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Imagine, without sleep, my child was restless all night," Quinones said.
From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026
Sir Keir Starmer's party is still restless, and underneath the overwhelming scale of the crisis in the Middle East, politics continues to fray.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
It hires restless aviators and eccentric daredevils to transport crazy stuff that no one else will.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Stella’s restless energy in wanting to fix things spurs her to arrange an impromptu trip for them to Amsterdam.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
For a long time I lay silent in the huge shadowy barracks restless with the sighs, snores, and stirrings of hundreds of women.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.