climbing the walls
Stir-crazy beyond endurance
Climbing the walls describes extreme restlessness, frustration, or anxiety—the feeling of being so agitated you could scale vertical surfaces to escape.
Often triggered by confinement, boredom, or unbearable waiting: After three days stuck inside with the kids, I was climbing the walls.
The delays had everyone climbing the walls.
- agitatedEmotionally disturbed, restless
- cabin feverDistress from extended confinement
- restlessUnable to be still
- antsyRestlessly eager or nervous
- impatientUnwilling to wait
can't sit still · anxious · fidgety · on edge · nervous · confinement · edgy · desperation · frustrated · at wit's end · isolation · quarantine · cooped up · shut in · exasperation · stir-crazy · tense · overwrought
- Anxietyanxiety, nervousness, panic, worry, generalized anxiety
- anger expressionssee red, seeing red, lose your temper, blow a fuse, blow a gasket
climbing the wallspatient
Able to wait calmly
long-suffering · forbearing · keeping one's cool · cool-headed · tolerant
climb, climbing, climbed, climber, climbers, climbs, climbable, wall, walls