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.
That’s the type of demand that is more resistant to a rise in prices, and less likely to decline because of higher costs, he said.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
For adults with mental conditions resistant to therapy, psychiatric medication can be effective.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
US-produced Jet A has a higher freezing point from the Jet A‑1 fuel used elsewhere in the world -- making it less resistant to very low temperatures during long-haul flights.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
All the candidates want to improve on California’s Safer from Wildfires program that offers modest discounts for homeowners who install closed eaves and take other measures to make their homes wildfire resistant.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
It forms broken trails of words, words sealed and resistant as stones.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
