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单词 restive
释义

Definition of restive in English:

restive

adjective ˈrɛstɪvˈrɛstɪv
  • 1(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
    he reiterated his determination to hold the restive republics together
    Example sentencesExamples
    • A deep silence settled upon his chest, his eyes dilated, his breathing became sporadic and restive.
    • Raphael heard Charmian's restive breathing, and a tear slid down his nose onto the furs he rested his head on.
    • A restive population is demanding the birth of some new dispensation to take charge and solve our problems.
    • During the trip, they had grown restive, quarrelsome, and hungry.
    • Discontented with the lack of political rights, government corruption, and economic hardship, the country became increasingly restive during the 1980s, erupting into violent ethnic confrontations in 1992.
    • Here is an impoverished country with a restive population demanding improvements to their lives.
    • Consumers have become increasingly restive about the absence of any legislative guarantee that anything of value will be returned to society as reimbursement for the monopoly rights they have ceded.
    • One key to the carmaker's success over the last five years has been its ability to keep its traditionally restive labor unions at bay with near double-digit annual pay raises and other concessions.
    • Such resentful people easily become restive; should a promising opportunity to throw off the oppressor's dominion present itself, they may seize it.
    • The Filipinos were restive under the Spanish, and this long period was marked by numerous uprisings.
    • Under pressure from medical organizations and restive nonsmokers, national governments around Europe are finally getting serious about tackling tobacco.
    • Unions are growing restive, demanding a bigger slice of the pie - which could spark disruptive strikes if they don't get it.
    • The country's social needs - in education and health care especially - are rising because of a growing population and an increasingly restive one.
    • No, the workers were not restive, nor were pickets lining up outside.
    • While some of its specifics are a problem, the overall argument provides a coherent, long-sighted perspective on this most restive period in the history of the stage.
    • Their people cannot be kept entirely ignorant of this situation, and become restive.
    • All of this has the capacity to further inflame already restive populations in the region.
    • Curators have always had to steer (in a timely fashion) between the demands of the general audience and those of restive academics.
    • In the right frame of mind any crucial five minutes could amuse the most restive psyche, despite which fact you feel certain that you could easily destroy a universe of time.
    Synonyms
    restless, fidgety, edgy, on edge, tense, uneasy, ill at ease, worked up, nervous, agitated, anxious, on tenterhooks, keyed up, apprehensive, unquiet, impatient
    British nervy
    informal jumpy, jittery, twitchy, uptight, wired, like a cat on a hot tin roof
    British informal 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
    British informal bolshie
    archaic contumacious
    1. 1.1 (of a horse) stubbornly standing still or moving backwards or sideways; refusing to advance.
      both their horses became restive at once
      Example sentencesExamples
      • It was a false scent, but ahead of him the horses grew restive, jostling and nipping, and the grey fretted against his hand.
      • A smaller and lighter horse, but restive and fiery, was brought to Legolas.
      • The hyarmi, five in all, caressed the necks of their restive mounts, calming them.
      • The horses were now more restive than ever, and Johann was trying to hold them in, while excitedly imploring me not to do anything so foolish.

Derivatives

  • restively

  • adverbˈrɛstɪvliˈrɛstɪvli
    • The finale (Ucelli sulle passioni), which, like the second movement, proceeds without pause, begins restively and roils like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I stared at the boy who had appeared in front of us, out of that leather-clad, gun-bearing, restively shifting throng that had appeared around us out of nowhere.
      • The ensign above him flapped restively in tune with the men under his inspection.
      • The minute hand on the clock above the Walls Unit entrance swept around past the 3, the 6, the 9, creeping toward 9 o'clock as the crowd looked on restively.
      • Johen's reply broke Jande's concentration on Dilys and her daughter, and she could hear their horses giving truth to Johen's words as they stamped restively on the track.
  • restiveness

  • noun ˈrɛstɪvnəsˈrɛstɪvnəs
    • I feel that the restiveness will not calm down with my continued presence,’ Corpus said.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Whenever stressed employees worked up the courage to venture criticism of him, Browne would point towards the sign, which was usually enough to quell any restiveness.
      • But I see the signs of decay and I sense a great restiveness in my country - portents of transcendent change.
      • They close the circle on the films, leave the audience shaken but not moved; a brief psychic jarring which lapses back into restiveness.
      • ‘There has been some understandable restiveness, but I have resolved this matter directly with the troops,’ she said.

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'.

  • rest from Old English:

    In the sense ‘to stop working or moving’, rest is an Old English word from a root meaning ‘league’ or ‘mile’—the reference was to a distance after which a person rested. The rest that means ‘the remaining part’ comes from Latin restare ‘to remain’, also the source of to arrest someone (Late Middle English), which you do by stopping them, and restive (late 16th century). Like reprieve, restive is a word whose meaning has been reversed. Its original meaning was ‘inclined to stay still, inert’. It was then applied particularly to a horse which remained stubbornly still or shifted from side to side instead of moving on. From this came the current meaning of ‘restless, fidgety’.

Rhymes

festive
 
 

Definition of restive in US English:

restive

adjectiveˈrɛstɪvˈrestiv
  • 1(of a person) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, especially because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom.

    the crowd had been waiting for hours and many were becoming restive
    he reiterated his determination to hold the restive republics together
    Example sentencesExamples
    • A deep silence settled upon his chest, his eyes dilated, his breathing became sporadic and restive.
    • A restive population is demanding the birth of some new dispensation to take charge and solve our problems.
    • The Filipinos were restive under the Spanish, and this long period was marked by numerous uprisings.
    • Curators have always had to steer (in a timely fashion) between the demands of the general audience and those of restive academics.
    • While some of its specifics are a problem, the overall argument provides a coherent, long-sighted perspective on this most restive period in the history of the stage.
    • Here is an impoverished country with a restive population demanding improvements to their lives.
    • Consumers have become increasingly restive about the absence of any legislative guarantee that anything of value will be returned to society as reimbursement for the monopoly rights they have ceded.
    • Discontented with the lack of political rights, government corruption, and economic hardship, the country became increasingly restive during the 1980s, erupting into violent ethnic confrontations in 1992.
    • No, the workers were not restive, nor were pickets lining up outside.
    • All of this has the capacity to further inflame already restive populations in the region.
    • Raphael heard Charmian's restive breathing, and a tear slid down his nose onto the furs he rested his head on.
    • Unions are growing restive, demanding a bigger slice of the pie - which could spark disruptive strikes if they don't get it.
    • Such resentful people easily become restive; should a promising opportunity to throw off the oppressor's dominion present itself, they may seize it.
    • In the right frame of mind any crucial five minutes could amuse the most restive psyche, despite which fact you feel certain that you could easily destroy a universe of time.
    • Their people cannot be kept entirely ignorant of this situation, and become restive.
    • The country's social needs - in education and health care especially - are rising because of a growing population and an increasingly restive one.
    • Under pressure from medical organizations and restive nonsmokers, national governments around Europe are finally getting serious about tackling tobacco.
    • During the trip, they had grown restive, quarrelsome, and hungry.
    • One key to the carmaker's success over the last five years has been its ability to keep its traditionally restive labor unions at bay with near double-digit annual pay raises and other concessions.
    Synonyms
    restless, fidgety, edgy, on edge, tense, uneasy, ill at ease, worked up, nervous, agitated, anxious, on tenterhooks, keyed up, apprehensive, unquiet, impatient
    unruly, disorderly, out of control, uncontrollable, unmanageable, ungovernable, unbiddable, disobedient, defiant, up in arms, wilful, recalcitrant, refractory, insubordinate, disaffected, dissentious, riotous
    1. 1.1 (of a horse) refusing to advance, stubbornly standing still or moving backward or sideways.
      both their horses became restive at once
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The hyarmi, five in all, caressed the necks of their restive mounts, calming them.
      • It was a false scent, but ahead of him the horses grew restive, jostling and nipping, and the grey fretted against his hand.
      • The horses were now more restive than ever, and Johann was trying to hold them in, while excitedly imploring me not to do anything so foolish.
      • A smaller and lighter horse, but restive and fiery, was brought to Legolas.

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’.

 
 
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更新时间:2024/12/23 14:44:22