resistant
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
characterized by or showing resistance; resisting
-
-
impervious to the action of corrosive substances, heat, etc
a highly resistant surface
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( in combination )
a heat-resistant surface
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noun
Other Word Forms
- antiresistant adjective
- antiresistantly adverb
- resistantly adverb
- unresistant adjective
Etymology
Origin of resistant
1590–1600; < Middle French resistant, present participle of resister to resist; -ant
Explanation
Being resistant means to be immune or impervious to something. A vest that's resistant to bullets is bullet-proof. Anything resistant has a certain power — specifically, the power to resist or fight off — something else. This word is often used medically, like when someone is resistant to a virus: that means they can't get the virus. You can also be resistant to someone's jokes, meaning they can't make you laugh. A raincoat should be resistant to water. If it's not resistant, that's a pretty bad raincoat. All resistant things are like a shield that something can't get through.
Vocabulary lists containing resistant
"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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Content Summary 4.2: Columbian Exchange and Atlantic Slavery
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"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson
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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.
Bitcoin developers Hunter Beast and Ethan Heilman introduced a draft proposal in 2024 to make bitcoin more resistant to quantum attacks.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
Another condition linked to resistant hypertension is "primary hyperaldosteronism," which occurs when the body produces too much aldosterone.
From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026
At the end of the Ashes, McCullum appeared resistant to having change imposed on him, and Key said he does not want the coach to lose his "authenticity".
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
What’s more, mosquitoes in the Greater L.A. district are resistant to a lot of pesticides.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
The total number of resistant species among crop-destroying insects had reached 65 in i960.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
