resistance

noun re·sis·tance \ ri-ˈzi-stən(t)s \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of resistance

1 a : an act or instance of resisting : opposition

b : a means of resisting

2 : the power or capacity to resist: such as

a : the inherent ability of an organism to resist harmful influences (such as disease, toxic agents, or infection)

b : the capacity of a species or strain of microorganism to survive exposure to a toxic agent (such as a drug) formerly effective against it

3 : an opposing or retarding force

4 a : the opposition offered by a body or substance to the passage through it of a steady electric current

b : a source of resistance

5 : a psychological defense mechanism wherein a patient rejects, denies, or otherwise opposes the therapeutic efforts of a psychotherapist

6 often capitalized : an underground organization of a conquered or nearly conquered country engaging in sabotage and secret operations against occupation forces and collaborators

See resistance defined for English-language learners

See resistance defined for kids

Examples of resistance in a Sentence

They have shown a stubborn resistance to change.
The troops met heavy resistance as they approached the city.
The paint shows good weather resistance.
Over time the patient could develop a resistance to the drug.

Recent Examples of resistance from the Web

The original residents of Antelope—the forty or so locals—talk frequently these days about intimidation and resistance, and about the city’s most dramatic response, its effort to disincorporate itself to keep the Rajneesh from taking voting control.

— david sarasohn, The New Republic, "Antelope’s Last Stand," 12 Apr. 2018
The armed resistance lasted from April 19 to May 16, 1943.

— andy nguyen, latimes.com, "Radio play reading marks 75th anniversary of Warsaw ghetto uprising," 11 Apr. 2018
In 1960, after months of resistance, Metropolitan agreed to support the State Water Project, the elaborate north-to-south delivery system championed by Brown's father, Gov. Pat Brown.

— dale kasler and ryan sabalow, sacbee, "Southern California water agency backs two Delta tunnels in breakthrough vote | The Sacramento Bee," 10 Apr. 2018
Last year, public health labs around the country were asked to watch for and quickly respond to cases of advanced antibiotic resistance, especially to some last-resort antibiotics called carbapenems.

— Washington Post, "CDC: Drug-resistant ‘nightmare bacteria’ pose growing threat," 3 Apr. 2018
The 12-hour battery life is perfect for multiple trips to the gym, and the Epic Sports' IP66 water resistance rating will keep the tunes going in the event of sweat or rain.

— michael desjardin, USA TODAY, "10 of the best headphones for every type of person," 23 Mar. 2018
Hold that position, maintaining that knee resistance, for 30 seconds.

— emily abbate, GQ, "4 Simple Ways to Prevent Lower Back Pain from Ruining Your Life," 29 Mar. 2018
His mother hailed from Christian gentry and had been active in the anti-German resistance, helping a Jewish man — Gross’s future father — to survive in hiding.

— Washington Post, "Scholar who triggered Holocaust debate mulls new Polish law," 28 Mar. 2018
Such resistance, according to Margolick, whose treatment of Kennedy tends to be deferential, even fawning, was political.

— benjamin hedin, chicagotribune.com, "50 years later: 'The Promise and the Dream' explores interrupted work of MLK and Robert Kennedy," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'resistance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of resistance

14th century

resistance Synonyms

resistance

adjective

Definition of resistance

: of, relating to, or being exercise involving pushing or pulling against a source of resistance (such as a weight) to increase strength

resistance training

First Known Use of resistance

1976

Financial Definition of RESISTANCE

resistance

noun

What It Is

In technical trading analysis, resistance is an upper limit in a price channel in which a security’s price tends to stay.

How It Works

Price channels can slope up (indicating bullish sentiment) or down (indicating bearish sentiment); they don’t have to simply go “sideways.” The important geometric characteristic is that the resistance lines and support lines (the opposite of the resistance) are parallel, as shown in this price channel for ChevronTexaco (CVX). The channel lines themselves are often based on multiday moving averages or logarithmic scales that reflect price movements in percentage terms. However, technical trading is as much an art as it is a science, and so one technical trader’s price channel might be different from another’s.

When a stock’s price touches the resistance, this may signal a trend change, which is why resistance levels are very important to technical traders.

Why It Matters

Price channels help tip traders off about trend changes in a stock or “unusual” activity when the price goes above or below the price channel lines (we call this a breakout). For example, a technical trader might sell when a stock hits resistance on a downward-sloping channel.

Source: Investing Answers

RESISTANCE Defined for English Language Learners

resistance

noun

Definition of resistance for English Language Learners

: refusal to accept something new or different
: effort made to stop or to fight against someone or something
: the ability to prevent something from having an effect

RESISTANCE Defined for Kids

resistance

noun re·sis·tance \ ri-ˈzi-stəns \

Definition of resistance for Students

1 : an act or instance of opposing

2 : the ability to withstand the force or effect of

resistance to disease

3 : an opposing or slowing force

The car's sleek design reduces wind resistance.

4 : the opposition offered by a substance to the passage through it of an electric current

Medical Dictionary

resistance

noun re·sis·tance \ ri-ˈzis-tən(t)s \

medical Definition of resistance

1 a : power or capacity to resist; especially : the inherent ability of an organism to resist harmful influences (as disease, toxic agents, or infection)

b : the capacity of a species or strain of microorganism to survive exposure to a toxic agent (as a drug) formerly effective against it due to genetic mutation and selection for and accumulation of genes conferring protection from the agent especially as a result of overuse of the agent which selectively destroys individual microorganisms lacking the protective genes

2 a : the opposition offered by a body to the passage through it of a steady electric current

b : opposition or impediment to the flow of a fluid (as blood or respiratory gases) through one or more passages — see vascular resistance

3 : a psychological defense mechanism wherein a psychoanalysis patient rejects, denies, or otherwise opposes therapeutic efforts by the analyst