restless

/ˈrɛstləs/

/ˈrɛstləs/

When you're restless, you find it hard to sit still or concentrate on anything. An audience often grows restless when they're waiting for the second act of a play to start and there's an unexpected delay.

If you think of restless as "unable to rest or relax," you'll know exactly what it means. You might have a restless night if you can't fall asleep and spend hours tossing and turning. A bunch of elementary school kids listening to a boring speech will grow restless in a way that's hard to miss, since they're bound to be squirming in their seats.

Definitions of restless

1. adjective

   lacking or not affording physical or mental rest
   “a restless night”

   synonyms: uneasy

   antonyms:

   restful

   affording physical or mental rest

   slumberous, slumbrous

   quiet and tranquil
2. adjective

   ceaselessly in motion
   “the restless sea”

   “the restless wind”

   synonyms:

   moving

   in motion
3. adjective

   worried and uneasy
   synonyms: ungratified, unsatisfied

   discontent, discontented

   showing or experiencing dissatisfaction or restless longing