restlessness

noun

Definition of restlessnessnext
1
as in turmoil
a disturbed or uneasy state the restlessness of the crowd was apparent as it waited to learn whether the football player was seriously injured

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boredom
the state of being bored she began to pick at the grass near her hammock out of sheer restlessness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of restlessness He’s never settled into a particular genre and, perhaps due to that wide-ranging restlessness, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be awarding him an honorary Oscar in November. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Tisch went to law school, eventually landing (with some restlessness) in real estate finance at Vornado Realty Trust and then at information services company KGB. — Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 For movement issues, a mattress with better motion isolation can make a partner’s restlessness far less noticeable. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 Symptoms Symptoms can include sleeplessness, extreme worry about the baby or childbirth, restlessness and a racing heartbeat. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Shares in Lionsgate extended their losses Wednesday after an activist investor expressed restlessness with the company’s stance on AI. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026 This could, in turn, trigger feelings of restlessness and irritability, not to mention the lack of clarity brought on by the moon transiting this Water sign. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026 Standing on opposite sides of the protests, the pair fall for each other despite the divide, recognizing in one another a restlessness neither can quite name. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 July 2026 Awash in restlessness, Sugar thinks of Chuy’s mother, Sandra, someone who could identify other players in the Fire Sale operation. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restlessness
  1. turmoil
  2. boredom
  3. unrest
  4. excitement
Noun
  • Despite all of this potential economic turmoil on the Canadian side, Carney still concluded that at the end of the day, the cost of acceding to Washington’s extravagant demands was higher than the cost of job losses and strain on a key industry.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the recent turmoil, shares are up around 14% in 2026.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of turmoil
Noun
  • Take us to that moment, this middle-age malaise, this boredom.
    — Longreads, Longreads, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Her boredom was sharpened by the discovery that most of her initial assumptions were wrong.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of boredom
Noun
  • That march, an inflection point in the Civil Rights Movement, also came at a fraught moment for the country, when economic headwinds, civil unrest, political division and the war in Vietnam bitterly divided Americans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That march, an inflection point in the Civil Rights Movement, came at a fraught moment for the country, when economic headwinds, civil unrest, political division and the Vietnam War bitterly divided Americans.
    — Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unrest
Noun
  • The 100-meter sprint in Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval brought together the world’s fastest runners, hurtling along at breakneck speed to shrieks of excitement from a captivated crowd.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But as the excitement for launch built, and the days until Roman's launch dwindled, excitement over the possibility of a solar transit spread among the photojournalists at KSC.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of excitement

Browse Nearby Words

restless
restlessness
restoral
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Cite this Entry

“Restlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restlessness. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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