restlessly
5
3.7
- adverb
- /ˈrɛstləsli/
- He sat restlessly on the couch, unable to focus on the movie.
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeI want you to be honest. How many of you lie awake in bed at night, restlessly tossing and turning, sleepless, asking yourself the question,
- I want you to be honest. How many of you lie awake in bed at night, restlessly tossing and turning, sleepless, asking yourself the question,
Examples
-
Roosters crowed, people shouted, the horses in the vans moved restlessly in the excitement.
Fiction book (1990) -
In a small pen farther off, moving restlessly and bleating anxiously, was a herd of piebald goats.
Fiction book (1991) -
Before the idea developed any further, she slipped restlessly out of his grasp and onto her back.
Fiction book (1993) -
Once outside, she walks restlessly up and down Rakoczi with all the other women.
Fiction book (1994) -
Every time P went to Jerome to collect, I'd pace around restlessly until she was back home again.
-
Twenty-three boys and Toby stand waiting restlessly for the tests to begin.
Fiction book (1993) -
Drummond sat behind the desk in his office, and Pitt sat restlessly in the chair in front.
Fiction book (1993) -
I imagined her pacing up and down restlessly, muttering and wringing her hands.
Fiction book (1992) -
Outside, the troop stirred restlessly under the spell of nameless fears.
-
She waited restlessly for the meeting to begin, tapping her foot in impatience.
Synonyms
39
3.2
In a worried or nervous way
2
3.9
In a nervous, worried way that shows stress
1
6.6
In a worried and restless way
1
6.0
In a nervous, tense way that shows worry
1
5.7
In a nervous, restless way that shows worry
1
7.8
To make small nervous movements because you feel impatient and uneasy
1
7.0
In a nervous way with small quick movements
1
7.4
In a way that shows discomfort or nervousness by moving restlessly
1
7.9
In a restless or worried way that shows you cannot be calm
Antonyms
How Restless
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Restlessly comes from the simple word rest, meaning 'relax' or 'sleep', plus -less ('without') and -ly, which makes a word an adverb. So, restlessly literally means 'without rest' and is used when someone cannot relax or stay still.