Thesaurus: restive

Related headwords

Definitions

1. a. Unwilling to go on; obstinate in refusing to move forward; stubborn; drawing back.
2. a. Inactive; sluggish.
3. a. Impatient under coercion, chastisement, or opposition; refractory.
4. a. Uneasy; restless; averse to standing still; fidgeting about; -- applied especially to horses.
5. adj. being in a tense state
6. adj. impatient especially under restriction or delay
7. Unwilling to go on; obstinate in refusing to move forward; stubborn; drawing back. Restive or resty, drawing back, instead of going forward, as some horses do. E. Philips (1658). The people remarked with awe and wonder that the beasts which were to drag him [Abraham Holmes] to the gallows became restive, and went back. Macaulay. 2. Inactive; sluggish. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. 3. Impatient under coercion, chastisement, or opposition; refractory. 4. Uneasy; restless; averse to standing still; fidgeting about; -- applied especially to horses. Trench. -- Rest"ive, adv. -- Rest"ive*ness, n.
8. Unwilling to go on; obstinate in refusing to move forward;stubborn; drawing back.Restive or resty, drawing back, instead of going forward, as somehorses do. E. Philips (1658).The people remarked with awe and wonder that the beasts which were todrag him [Abraham Holmes] to the gallows became restive, and wentback. Macaulay.
9. j:100 s. impatient especially under restriction or delay