The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Restive \Rest"ive\ (r?st"?v), a. [OF. restif, F. r['e]tif, fr.
   L. restare to stay back, withstand, resist. See Rest
   remainder, and cf. Restiff.] .
   Unwilling to go on; obstinate in refusing to move forward;
   stubborn; drawing back.
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         Restive or resty, drawing back, instead of going
         forward, as some horses do.              --E. Philips
                                                  (1658).
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         The people remarked with awe and wonder that the beasts
         which were to drag him [Abraham Holmes] to the gallows
         became restive, and went back.           --Macaulay.
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   2. Inactive; sluggish. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.
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   3. Impatient under coercion, chastisement, or opposition;
      refractory.
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   4. Uneasy; restless; averse to standing still; fidgeting
      about; -- applied especially to horses. --Trench.
      [1913 Webster] -- Rest"ive, adv. -- Rest"ive*ness, n.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

restive
    adj 1: being in a tense state [syn: edgy, high-strung,
           highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy,
           overstrung, restive, uptight]
    2: impatient especially under restriction or delay; "the
       government has done nothing to ease restrictions and
       manufacturers are growing restive"