restlessness
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Related to restlessness: insomnia, Restless Leg Syndrome
rest·less
(rĕst′lĭs)adj.
1. Characterized by a lack of quiet, repose, or rest: spent a restless night.
2. Not able to rest, relax, or be still: a restless child.
3. Having or showing a persistent desire for change or action: "A restless feeling of guilt would always be present with him" (James Joyce).
4. Never still or motionless: the restless sea.
rest′less·ly adv.
rest′less·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Restlessness
- Always fidgeting around to go, like a horse in an antbed —Elmer Kelton
- Fidgeted as though the skin on her back were as a plucked fowl’s in a poulterer’s shop window —Virginia Woolf
- Fidgety as a child —Richard Wilbur
- Fidgety, like a rabbit’s nose —or a commuter —Don Marquis
- Fitful as a cautery —Diane Ackerman
- I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm, I’m as jumpy as a puppet on a string —Oscar Hammerstein II, opening lines for “It Might As Well Be Spring” from State Fair
“It Might As Well Be Spring” is a particularly outstanding example of Hammerstein’s mastery of the light-hearted simile. The lyrics also compare a nightingale without a song to a feeling of discontentment, a spider to busyness and a baby on a swing to a feeling of giddiness.
- As impatient as a wedding dick —American colloquialism
- (It is a night like many another with the sky now a bit) impatient for today to be over like a bored salesgirl shifting from foot to stockinged foot —John Ashberry
- Pacing up and down like an animal in a cage —Elizabeth Taylor
- (Walking around) restless as a big animal in the lowering weather —Elizabeth Spencer
- Restless as a rolling stone —Anon
- Restless as sharp desire —Arthur C. Benson
- Restless as Ulysses —William Makepeace Thackeray
- Restless like a man running downhill who cannot keep on his legs unless he runs on, and will inevitably fall if he stops —Arthur Schopenhauer
- A restless mind, like a rolling stone, gathers nothing but dirt and mire —John Balguy
See Also: MIND
- Seemed always looking for a place, like one who goes to choose a grave —Stephen Crane
- (Settled on the couch,) shifting and fluttering like birds in a nest —Peter Meinke
- Squirming as though bitten by bugs —Bernard Malamud
- Squirm like a country mule hitched beside the railroad track —American colloquialism, attributed to South
- Tossed all night like a man running from himself —Paige Mitchell
- Wriggling in her place, as if her chair was hot —Frank Swinnerton
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | restlessness - the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active; "the restlessness of the wind" mobility - the quality of moving freely |
| 2. |  restlessness - a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delayannoyance, botheration, irritation, vexation - the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed | |
| 3. | restlessness - a feeling of agitation expressed in continual motion; "he's got the fidgets"; "waiting gave him a feeling of restlessness" agitation - the feeling of being agitated; not calm impatience - a restless desire for change and excitement | |
| 4. |  restlessness - inability to rest or relax or be stillnervousness - a sensitive or highly strung temperament jactation, jactitation - (pathology) extremely restless tossing and twitching usually by a person with a severe illness |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
restlessness
noun
1. movement, activity, turmoil, unrest, instability, bustle, turbulence, hurry, transience, inconstancy, hurry-scurry, unsettledness increasing sounds of restlessness
2. restiveness, anxiety, disturbance, nervousness, disquiet, agitation, insomnia, jitters (informal), uneasiness, edginess, heebie-jeebies (slang), jumpiness, fretfulness, ants in your pants (slang), fitfulness, inquietude, worriedness She complained of hyperactivity and restlessness.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
restlessness
nounAn uneasy or nervous state:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إضْطِراب، قَلَق، عَدَم النَّوْم
roztěkanost
hvileløshedrastløshed
óróleiki
huzursuzlukuykusuzluk
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
restlessness
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
rest1
(rest) noun1. a (usually short) period of not working etc after, or between periods of, effort; (a period of) freedom from worries etc. Digging the garden is hard work – let's stop for a rest; Let's have/take a rest; I need a rest from all these problems – I'm going to take a week's holiday.
2. sleep. He needs a good night's rest.
3. something which holds or supports. a book-rest; a headrest on a car seat.
4. a state of not moving. The machine is at rest.
verb1. to (allow to) stop working etc in order to get new strength or energy. We've been walking for four hours – let's stop and rest; Stop reading for a minute and rest your eyes; Let's rest our legs.
2. to sleep; to lie or sit quietly in order to get new strength or energy, or because one is tired. Mother is resting at the moment.
3. to (make or allow to) lean, lie, sit, remain etc on or against something. Her head rested on his shoulder; He rested his hand on her arm; Her gaze rested on the jewels.
4. to relax, be calm etc. I will never rest until I know the murderer has been caught.
5. to (allow to) depend on. Our hopes now rest on him, since all else has failed.
6. (with with) (of a duty etc) to belong to. The choice rests with you.
ˈrestful adjective1. bringing rest. a restful holiday.
2. (of colours, music etc) causing a person to feel calm and relaxed. Some people find blue a restful colour; After a hard day's work, I like to listen to some restful music.
3. relaxed. at rest: The patient seems more restful now.
ˈrestfully adverbˈrestfulness noun
ˈrestless adjective
1. always moving; showing signs of worry, boredom, impatience etc. a restless child; He's been doing the same job for years now and he's beginning to get restless.
2. during which a person does not sleep. a restless night.
ˈrestlessly adverbˈrestlessness noun
ˈrest-room noun
(American) a toilet in a theatre, factory etc.
at rest free from pain, worry etc.
come to rest to stop moving. The ball came to rest under a tree.
lay to rest to bury (someone) in a grave.
let the matter rest to stop discussing etc a matter.
rest assured to be certain. You may rest assured that we will take your views into consideration.
set someone's mind at rest to take away a person's worries about something.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
restlessness
n inquietud f, agitación fEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.