Well-read · Often misused · Emotions
Restive: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Restive adjective. Impatient and hard to keep still or under control.
How to say it
RES-tiv/ˈrɛstɪv/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (RES).
Restive in a sentence
The crowd grew restive as the band's start time came and went.
The horse was restive and refused to go near the jump.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- restless
- fidgety
- unruly
- edgy
Opposite:
- calm
- docile
- placid
Careful
Restive sounds as if it means restful, but it means the opposite: restless and hard to control. Oddly, it first described a stubborn horse that wouldn't move at all.
Where restive comes from
From Old French restif, inclined to stay put, from Latin restare, to remain; it first described horses refusing to go on.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The horse was _____ and refused to go near the jump.
- inchoate
- restive
- simplistic
Show the answer
restive: The horse was restive and refused to go near the jump.