insulin resistance

noun

: reduced sensitivity to insulin by the body's insulin-dependent processes (such as glucose uptake and lipolysis) that is typical of type 2 diabetes but often occurs in the absence of diabetes

Examples of insulin resistance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Having too much glucose in your blood for an extended period of time can lead to insulin resistance, when your cells stop responding to insulin. —Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 22 Apr. 2026

Staying on top of your metabolic health is important for keeping your blood sugar in check, warding off insulin resistance, and maintaining a healthy weight. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 13 Apr. 2026

Fasting insulin isn’t on standard panels but can flag insulin resistance years before A1C becomes abnormal. —Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026

For one project, Cohen tried to disrupt a protein associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for insulin resistance

• magnetoresistance
• assistance
• consistence
• desistance
• existence
• insistence
• persistence
• subsistence
• coexistence
• nonexistence
• distance

Medical Definition

insulin resistance

noun

: reduced sensitivity to insulin by the body's insulin-dependent processes (as glucose uptake, lipolysis, and inhibition of glucose production by the liver) that results in decreased activity of these processes or an increase in insulin production or both and that is typical of type 2 diabetes but often occurs in the absence of diabetes