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.
The perennial ryegrass used in Europe is resistant to wear, but it also doesn’t have the traction players have become accustomed to in the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2026
Animals lacking Mitch in their muscles became more physically fit, developed greater endurance, and were remarkably resistant to obesity.
From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026
Exchanges were member-owned, resistant to change, and mostly avoided.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
Classical music may be the artistic discipline most resistant to being defined as “quintessentially American.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
The fact is that, over entire continents and other large areas containing hundreds of competing societies, some societies will be more open to innovation, and some will be more resistant.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
