resistance

[ri-zis-tuhns]

noun

1. the act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding.

   Synonyms: intransigence, defiance, obstinacy, opposition

2. the opposition offered by one thing, force, etc., to another.

3. Electricity.

   1. Also called ohmic resistance. a property of a conductor by virtue of which the passage of current is opposed, causing electric energy to be transformed into heat: equal to the voltage across the conductor divided by the current flowing in the conductor: usually measured in ohms. R

   2. a conductor or coil offering such opposition; resistor.

4. Psychiatry.,  opposition to an attempt to bring repressed thoughts or feelings into consciousness.

5. (often initial capital letter),  an underground organization composed of groups of private individuals working as an opposition force in a conquered country to overthrow the occupying power, usually by acts of sabotage, guerrilla warfare, etc..

   the resistance during the German occupation in World War II.

6. Stock Exchange.,  resistance level.

Resistance

¹

/ rɪˈzɪstəns /

noun

1. an illegal organization fighting for national liberty in a country under enemy occupation, esp in France during World War II

resistance

²

/ rɪˈzɪstəns /

noun

1. the act or an instance of resisting

2. the capacity to withstand something, esp the body's natural capacity to withstand disease

3. 1. R. the opposition to a flow of electric current through a circuit component, medium, or substance. It is the magnitude of the real part of the impedance and is measured in ohms Compare reactance

   2. ( as modifier )

      resistance coupling

      a resistance thermometer

4. any force that tends to retard or oppose motion

   air resistance

   wind resistance

5. (in psychoanalytical theory) the tendency of a person to prevent the translation of repressed thoughts and ideas from the unconscious to the conscious and esp to resist the analyst's attempt to bring this about

6. physics the magnitude of the real part of the acoustic or mechanical impedance

7. the easiest, but not necessarily the best or most honourable, course of action

8. See passive resistance

resistance

1. A force, such as friction, that operates opposite the direction of motion of a body and tends to prevent or slow down the body's motion.

2. A measure of the degree to which a substance impedes the flow of electric current induced by a voltage. Resistance is measured in ohms. Good conductors, such as copper, have low resistance. Good insulators, such as rubber, have high resistance. Resistance causes electrical energy to be dissipated as heat.

3. See also Ohm's law

4. The capacity of an organism, tissue, or cell to withstand the effects of a harmful physical or environmental agent, such as a microorganism or pollutant.

resistance

1. In electricity, a measurement of the difficulty encountered by a power source in forcing electric current (see also current) through an electrical circuit, and hence the amount of power dissipated in the circuit. Resistance is measured in ohms.

Other Word Forms

• interresistance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of resistance¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French; equivalent to resist + -ance

Idioms and Phrases

see least resistance.

Example Sentences

Laughing at ICE’s failures represents a valuable form of political resistance, as humor historically has been used to mock tyrants and redirect frustration into something positive.

From Los Angeles Times

Thousands have died and millions have been displaced since 2021, when the army seized power, triggering a civil war with armed resistance groups and ethnic militias.

From BBC

His gestures, his anger, his resistance all emerge from living in a context that demands he smile while being insulted.

From BBC

As a therapist, I know that for children with autism, water offers resistance, pressure and pleasant sensory arousal.

From Los Angeles Times

Adler, who is Jewish, wrote in a piece for the Nation that his grandfather joined the Parisian resistance against the Nazis, and that he draws from his heritage in his rationale for joining the flotilla.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• battle 
• defiance 
• fight 
• intransigence 
• protection 
• refusal 
• struggle 
• support