The adjectives, restless and restive, have similar but distinct meanings.
Restless, the more common word, means “not resting” or “not able to rest.” Restless implies anxious, nervous, agitated, disturbed, or hyperactive—i.e. “unable to fully relax.”
It is impossible to sleep with a restless mind.
Restive can have the same meaning as restless, but it also connotes rebellion; instead of “unable to relax,” restive means “refusing to relax, resistant to control, or reluctant to calm down”—like protesters:
As the crowd became restive, the police were told to start arresting protesters to prevent a breach of the security perimeters.
More Examples of “Restless” in a Sentence
- Jill said her dog was unusually restless that morning.
- Williams wakes up out of bed, restless, as if troubled by a recurring bad dream.
- But by the end of our session, Ian had grown restless, and he spoke up.
- Normally, I’m pretty restless in bed, and the act of moving around makes my mind wander.
- Some homeowners become restless if their house doesn’t sell within two weeks, he said.
More Examples of “Restive” in a Sentence
- At school, he was remembered as a brilliant but very restive student.
- In India’s restive northeast, local populations see these migrants as rivals for resources.
- Last month, Beijing moved thousands of troops across the border into this restive city.
- Another one was to keep an eye on the restive nobles.
- At any rate, he needed to deal with his northern border, as it was yet again growing restive.