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Restive ultimately comes from the Anglo-French word rester, meaning "to stop, resist, or remain." In its earliest use, restive meant "sluggish" or "inactive," though this sense is no longer in use. Another early sense was "stubborn, obstinate." Specifically, restive often referred to horses that refused to do as commanded. This general application to unruly horses may have influenced the development of the "fidgety, impatient" sense of restive. Some usage commentators have objected to this newer sense, but it has been in use for well over a century, and is now the more common of the uses.
Examples of restive in a Sentence
arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group active in the restive and mineral-rich Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
All of this runs counter to the narrative — popular among Washington’s chattering class — that a young and restive crop of Democrats is clamoring to scrap the seniority system that’s guided the party’s committee-selection process for years.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
While the submarine crew grows restive and their captain lapses into a state of permanent inebriation, across three continents, politics roll on.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Restive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restive. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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