restlessly
7
3.7
- adverb
- /ˈrɛstləsli/
- He sat restlessly on the couch, unable to focus on the movie.
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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
43
3.2
In a worried or nervous way
3
3.9
In a nervous, worried way that shows stress
1
6.6
In a worried and restless way
1
5.7
In a nervous, restless way that shows worry
1
6.0
In a nervous, tense way that shows worry
To make small nervous movements because you feel impatient and uneasy
In a way that shows discomfort or nervousness by moving restlessly
In a nervous way with small quick movements
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.