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
Etymology
Origin of resistant
1590–1600; < Middle French resistant, present participle of resister to resist; see -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.
Diesel, though, is particularly resistant to rapid demand destruction because much of its consumption is difficult to eliminate in the short term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Developing new phage could lead to new ways of treating infections that have become resistant to antibiotics.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
These two plastics are composed entirely of carbon-hydrogen bonds and are chemically resistant under alkaline conditions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
"Adapt or fail" is Ambrositsch's stark conclusion, which has led her to plant different varieties more resistant to the heat, and to change how she treats the soil.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The forest was resistant to them at first, with thorn trees and brambles—but the further in they went, the taller and richer it became.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
