resilient

[ri-zil-yuhnt, -zil-ee-uhnt]

adjective

1. springing back; rebounding.

   Synonyms: springy, flexible, elastic

2. returning to the original form or position after being bent, compressed, or stretched.

3. recovering readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyant.

resilient

/ rɪˈzɪlɪənt /

adjective

1. (of an object or material) capable of regaining its original shape or position after bending, stretching, compression, or other deformation; elastic

2. (of a person) recovering easily and quickly from shock, illness, hardship, etc; irrepressible

Other Word Forms

• resiliently adverb
• nonresilient adjective
• nonresiliently adverb
• unresilient adjective
• unresiliently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of resilient¹

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin resilient-, stem of resiliēns, present participle of resilīre “to spring back,” equivalent to re- re- + -sil-, combining form of salīre “to leap, jump”; salient

Example Sentences

He expects corporate profits to exceed expectations, the economy to remain resilient and governance reforms to continue supporting sentiment.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Consumer spending may be proving shockingly resilient, but there’s one demographic that seems poised to pull back this fall: Teenagers.

Read more on Barron's

Investors are looking for companies that are resilient and innovative in long-term structural uncertainty, it said.

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“He’s enormously resilient. Think about all the changes we’ve had in technology. Larry has reinvented Oracle so many times. The guy is smart as hell.”

Read more on Barron's

Yeah, the economy is remarkably resilient, but that is largely the result of massive tax cuts and government spending that is adding billions of dollars in new debt.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• buoyant 
• strong 
• supple 
• tough 
• volatile