restive
adjective
[ ˈrɛstɪv ]
• (of a person) unable to remain still, silent, or submissive, especially because of boredom or dissatisfaction.
• "the crowd had been waiting for hours and many were becoming restive"
Similar:
restless,
fidgety,
edgy,
on edge,
tense,
uneasy,
ill at ease,
worked up,
nervous,
agitated,
anxious,
on tenterhooks,
keyed up,
apprehensive,
unquiet,
impatient,
nervy,
jumpy,
jittery,
twitchy,
uptight,
wired,
like a cat on a hot tin roof,
like a cat on hot bricks,
stressy,
unruly,
disorderly,
out of control,
uncontrollable,
unmanageable,
ungovernable,
unbiddable,
disobedient,
defiant,
up in arms,
wilful,
recalcitrant,
refractory,
insubordinate,
disaffected,
dissentious,
riotous,
rebellious,
mutinous,
seditious,
insurgent,
insurrectionary,
insurrectionist,
revolutionary,
bolshie,
contumacious,
Origin:
late 16th century: from Old French restif, -ive, from Latin restare ‘remain’. The original sense, ‘inclined to remain still’, has undergone a reversal; the association with the refractory movements of a horse gave rise to the current sense ‘restless’.
