resilience

Also re·sil·ien·cy

[ri-zil-yuhns, -zil-ee-uhns]

noun

1. the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.

2. the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc.; buoyancy.

3. 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.

Other Word Forms

• nonresilience noun
• nonresiliency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of resilience¹

First recorded in 1620–30; resili(ent) + -ence

Example Sentences

The combination of delayed economic data, firmer inflation readings, and the economy’s headline resilience has since complicated the picture.

Read more on Barron's

They also point to the number of acquisition opportunities and the resilience and diversity of performance fees that Navigator collects.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

His Minneapolis counterpart Neel Kashkari, who called for a pause in October, pointed to "underlying resilience in economic activity, more than I had expected".

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Pippa Johnston, deputy chief executive officer at Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity, said Daniel and Kirsty had shown "so much courage and resilience in the face of such unimaginable hardship and uncertainty".

Read more on BBC

At the same time, the financial resilience of a subset of borrowers has been weakening as people stretch to afford a home.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• flexibility