VocabAhead

Restive vs Restful

Restiveadjective

impatient especially under restriction or delay

Full entry for Restive

Restfuladjective

affording physical or mental rest

The difference

Restive means restless and hard to control — the opposite of what it sounds like. Restful means peaceful.

How to keep them apart

Restive horses will not stand still. The rest in restive is the rest they refuse to take.

Other pairs worth knowing

All confused pairs · SAT list · GRE list · Full word list