resistance

noun

re·sis·tance | \ ri-ˈzi-stən(t)s

Definition of resistance

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

4a : 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

resistance

adjective

Definition of resistance (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for resistance

Synonyms: Noun

defiance, opposition

Antonyms: Noun

acquiescence

Examples of resistance in a Sentence

Noun

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 on the Web: Noun

For example, long stays in space accelerate bone deterioration—and part of the remedy, per NASA, is resistance training. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Tourist's Guide to Space," 12 Mar. 2019 An ambitious infrastructure project is spurring violent resistance in Indonesia. — Jennifer Smith, WSJ, "Today’s Logistics Report: Shrinking Japan’s Fleet; Squeezing the Grocers; Highway Dividing Lines," 8 Mar. 2019 Members of Poland’s resistance and government-in-exile struggled to warn the world about the mass killing of Jews, and thousands of Poles risked their lives to help Jews. — Aron Heller, The Seattle Times, "Israel hosts east European leaders after summit scrapped," 19 Feb. 2019 The sight of more than 50 of the nation’s leaders united through a potent symbol of resistance and civil disobedience is exactly the right image to send on a night when the powers that be will undoubtedly push a divisive agenda. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Female Lawmakers Stand Up to the State of the Union in Suffragette White," 6 Feb. 2019 The persistence of memristors There is a series of partly overlapping memory storage technologies that are based on changes in electrical resistance. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Researchers make RAM from a phase change we don’t entirely understand," 18 Dec. 2018 The collection's real piéce de resistance that everyone can get at home? — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Alexander Wang's Take On "American Hustle" Includes Bath Towels, Pigtails, and Lots of Leather," 3 Dec. 2018 Because the excitement for women candidates sprung from the Women’s March—that is, patent resistance to Trump—Republican women can’t capitalize on that momentum. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "Party Crashers: These Female Candidates Are Shaking Up The Midterms," 2 Nov. 2018 Another Baga resident, Abba Mustapha, said the extremists’ arrival met little resistance, reflecting concerns about government support for troops. — Haruna Umar, The Seattle Times, "Islamic militants’ deadly resurgence threatens Nigeria polls," 12 Feb. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near resistance

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Statistics for resistance

Last Updated

18 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for resistance

The first known use of resistance was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for resistance

resistance

noun

Financial Definition of resistance

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

noun

English Language Learners Definition of resistance

: 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

See the full definition for resistance in the English Language Learners Dictionary

resistance

noun

re·sis·tance | \ ri-ˈzi-stəns

Kids Definition of resistance

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

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resistance

noun

re·sis·tance | \ ri-ˈzis-tən(t)s

Medical Definition of resistance

1a : 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

2a : 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