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

Elevated stress hormones such as cortisol may worsen cholesterol patterns over time, and inadequate sleep is linked to insulin resistance. —Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 23 Feb. 2026

Newberry agrees, also noting that people with insulin resistance, such as those with diabetes, may want to be especially cautious when adding sweeteners. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026

Meanwhile, people with PCOS tend to have elevated levels of testosterone, which can affect the egg follicles in your ovaries, increase insulin resistance, and encourage fat storage—all of which can throw off your ovulation. —Deanna Pai, SELF, 20 Feb. 2026

In individuals with obesity, genes involved in lactate production were more active, a notable finding, given lactate’s association with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic strain. —New Atlas, 14 Feb. 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