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. the act or an instance of resisting
2. the capacity to withstand something, esp the body's natural capacity to withstand disease
3. 1. 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 R 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. line of least resistance
   line of least resistance the easiest, but not necessarily the best or most honourable, course of action
8. See passive resistance
   See passive resistance

Resistance

²

/ rɪˈzɪstəns /

noun

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

resistance

/ rĭ-zĭs′təns /

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 Words From

• inter·re·sistance 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

The obvious news-you-can-use nugget from the new study is the apparent protective effect of resistance training.

From Outside Online

Although unlikely, organisms in the gut could integrate those genes into their own DNA and, as a result, proliferate antibiotic resistance, making it more difficult to fight off bacterial diseases.

From Singularity Hub 

This ranged from subtle to overt opposition, and sometimes violent resistance.

From Quartz

It's kind of a push and pull between this is a routine but y'all also kinda get to choose what you're doing when because I get the least resistance by doing that, and they get everything done.

From Everything After Z

Then, Vaelli says, the pressure would be back on snakes to evolve greater resistance to the toxin.

From Science News For Students

But that makes the Ismael brothers no less proud of the resistance that they and other fellow fighters have put up.

From The Daily Beast

In the future, antibiotic resistance could have catastrophic consequences.

From The Daily Beast

There would, then, likely be significant police resistance to this measure.

From The Daily Beast

It is this very sensitive issue that has galvanized widespread resistance from previously loyal campesinos.

From The Daily Beast

Conservative Muslim women in Turkey hailed Esme as a martyr and a symbol of female strength and resistance.

From The Daily Beast

There is cause for alarm when they bring one hundred and ten ships into these seas without any means of resistance on our part.

From Project Gutenberg

A double detachment of soldiers was already there, with orders to support him in case of resistance.

From Project Gutenberg

A mild degree means that the body is not reacting well, or else that the infection is too slight to call forth much resistance.

From Project Gutenberg

This stubborn resistance lent all the more lustre to the piety of our benignant Rulers.

From Project Gutenberg

His voice grated—like machinery started with violent effort against resistance.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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