restive
Adjective Satellite
- being in a tense state
- impatient especially under restriction or delay
- "the government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive"
Adj
- Impatient under delay, duress, or control.
- Resistant to control; stubborn.
- Refusing to move, especially in a forward direction.
Adjective
- Unable to keep still; stubbornly resistant to control.
Examples
- His opponent grew RESTIVE as the clock ticked down, struggling to find a valid word.
Origin / Etymology
Modification of earlier restiff, from Middle English restyf, from Old French restif, from rester (“stay, remain”), from Latin restō.
* Shares an etymology with rest ("remain," obsolete)
*Merriam-Webster states that this word was originally used to describe horses that disobeyed commands. Presumably, then, the word came to mean "fidgety" or "anxious" more broadly.
Synonyms
edgy, high-strung, highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, uptight, anxious, balky, champing at the bit, disobedient, fidgety, rebellious, recalcitrant, refractory, restless, uncooperative, uneasy, unruly
Scrabble Score: 10
restive: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordrestive: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
restive: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary