resilience
Americannoun
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the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
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the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc.; buoyancy.
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the ability of a system or organization to respond to or recover readily from a crisis, disruptive process, etc..
Cities can build resilience to climate change by investing in infrastructure.
noun
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Also: resiliency. the state or quality of being resilient
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ecology the ability of an ecosystem to return to its original state after being disturbed
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physics the amount of potential energy stored in an elastic material when deformed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of resilience
First recorded in 1620–30; see resili(ent) + -ence
Explanation
Truly, your resilience, or ability to bounce back, is not just admirable, but foolhardy, some might say; who else could have survived an attack by a rabid toucan and then gone on to become a world-renowned bird breeder? The noun resilience stems from the Latin resiliens, “to rebound, recoil.” As a character trait, resilience is a person’s ability to recover quickly from unfortunate circumstances or illness. Runners who fall during a marathon only to pop back up and dash through the finish line show some serious resilience. Or Silly Putty that can stretch and stretch without breaking, and then come back to rest inside its egg-shaped carrying case — that’s resilience, or elasticity, for you.
Vocabulary lists containing resilience
List 3
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Hamilton
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Power Prefix: re-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You have built resilience across our public services, businesses and communities, equipping us all to prosper in our ever-evolving digital world," the monarch added.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
It is hard to imagine Nvidia’s five-year CDS reflecting much credit risk, given how much revenue and earnings have grown in recent years and the stock’s resilience, but that is exactly what’s been happening.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
"This is a test of our resilience," admitted Niang.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The print will be closed watched for insights into household confidence, inflation expectations and consumer-spending resilience, it adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Her strength surged through him - a wave of courage and resilience that made him feel substantial again, anchored to the mortal world.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
