resilience

noun

re·sil·ience ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s

: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

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Using Resilience Outside of Physics

In physics, resilience is the ability of an elastic material (such as rubber or animal tissue) to absorb energy (such as from a blow) and release that energy as it springs back to its original shape. The recovery that occurs in this phenomenon can be viewed as analogous to a person's ability to bounce back after a jarring setback. The word resilience derives from the present participle of the Latin verb resilire, meaning "to jump back" or "to recoil." The base of resilire is salire, a verb meaning "to leap" that also pops up in the etymologies of such sprightly words as sally and somersault.

Examples of resilience in a Sentence

… the concert remained a remarkable tribute to Dylan's resilience and continued relevance. —

Susan Richardson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994

He squeezed the rubber with a clamp and then released it—demonstrating with this painfully simple experiment that the material lost its resilience and therefore its ability to flex rapidly enough to protect the rocket joint from tumultuous hot gases. —

James Gleick, New York Times Book Review, 13 Nov. 1988

With amazing resilience the two tribes pulled together and set out to found a new town farther up the river. —

Carolyn Gilman, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 1988

It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment. —

Bram Stoker, Dracula, 1897

The rescue workers showed remarkable resilience in dealing with the difficult conditions. Cold temperatures caused the material to lose resilience. See More

Recent Examples on the Web What the ‘fundamentals’ tell us about where housing’s future The Pinto-Peter analysis helps explain housing’s remarkable resilience. —

Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023 Guidance confirms the group’s resilience and strategic positioning, Deutsche says, with confidence underpinned by a high backlog and positive net price/cost dynamics. —

WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023 At the March for Israel, Hagee was pointed about his continuing support for the Jewish people and Israel's resilience. —

Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023 Expanding access to renewable energy, for example, could both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also improve climate resilience. —

Li Cohen, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023 Lahey has done the research for you, and the book creates a strong argument for why trying to prevent failure keeps children from learning resilience and having a growth mind-set. —

Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023 During the Jury Roundtable, 34-year-old stay-at–home father Cameron Hardin applauded Bains’ resilience. —

Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 And, in a country lauded for its climate resilience, Lamia as a climate migrant is part of a generation whose lives demonstrate the adaptation required to face the crisis. —

Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Nov. 2023 Despite these economic headwinds and concerns of a looming recession, German businesses have displayed resilience. —

Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 8 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'resilience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.