restive

restive
adjective
res·;tive ;re-stiv
Synonyms of restive
1
: stubbornly resisting control : balky
2
: marked by impatience or uneasiness : fidgety
restively adverb
restiveness noun


Did you know?
Restive is descended from the Anglo-French verb rester, meaning "to stop, resist, or remain." Its initial meaning in the 15th century was "stubbornly resisting control or guidance; obstinate in refusal," and for some time the word was primarily applied to animals such as horses. Over the next few centuries, restive gained additional, closely related meanings (such as "inflexible," "sluggish," and "persistent") and the word often described people as well as animals. In the 19th century this semantic drift extended to encompass the meaning "marked by impatience or uneasiness." Although the original "balky" sense of restive hasn't died out completely, it is overshadowed by this more recent "fidgety or impatient" one. Some usage guides still recommend against using restive in this modern sense, despite well over a century and a half of skilled writers employing it. If you're among the restive (earlier meaning) ones who balk at new meanings of words, we apologize if this news makes you feel restive (newer one).

Synonyms
balky
contrary
contumacious
defiant
disobedient
froward
incompliant
insubordinate
intractable
obstreperous
rebel
rebellious
recalcitrant
recusant
refractory
ungovernable
unruly
untoward
wayward
willful
wilful
Choose the Right Synonym for restive

contrary, perverse, restive, balky, wayward mean inclined to resist authority or control.

contrary implies a temperamental unwillingness to accept orders or advice.

a contrary child
perverse may imply wrongheaded, determined, or cranky opposition to what is reasonable or normal.

a perverse, intractable critic
restive suggests unwillingness or inability to submit to discipline or follow orders.

tired soldiers growing restive
balky suggests a refusing to proceed in a desired direction or course of action.

a balky witness
wayward suggests strong-willed capriciousness and irregularity in behavior.

a school for wayward youths
Examples of restive in a Sentence
the restive horse threw its head and refused to move when the rider urged it forward
spent a restive night worrying about the next day's exam
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On top of that, Iran has its own restive population of some 20 million ethnic Azeris—making up perhaps as much as a quarter of the Iranian population.
—Zaur Shiriyev, Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2025
Moving out of Seattle also put almost 2,000 miles between the company’s top brass and its restive unions, which might have been one of the biggest attractions from the corner-office point of view.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025
After South Sudan declared independence, the regions bordering the breakaway country remained restive, and the Bashir regime began deploying a new paramilitary force there.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Finding their tear gas ineffective in the freshening spring breeze and the crowd increasingly restive, the guardsmen retreated a short way.
—Kalyan Singhal, Baltimore Sun, 5 May 2025

Word History
Etymology
Middle English restyf, from Anglo-French restif, from rester to stop, resist, remain

First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of restive was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century