resistant

adjective re·sis·tant \ ri-ˈzi-stənt \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of resistant

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance —often used in combination

wrinkle-resistant clothes

a drug-resistant strain of virus

See resistant defined for English-language learners

See resistant defined for kids

Examples of resistant in a Sentence

These plants are resistant to cold temperatures.
He became resistant to the medication.

Recent Examples of resistant from the Web

Turner is researching how viruses can increase the effectiveness of traditional antibiotics to treat infections that are resistant to multiple drugs.

— rebecca lurye, courant.com, "Two Yale Researchers Win Blavatnik Grants For The Second Time," 12 May 2018
One House member, Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Wayland, has endorsed Colbeck, crediting the senator with courage in the face of institutions resistant to change.

— paul egan, Detroit Free Press, "He's Michigan's most conservative Republican candidate for governor," 11 May 2018
Here too, though, Republicans have been resistant to change.

— john myers, latimes.com, "As Californians shed their political party labels, independent voters are close to outnumbering Republicans," 11 May 2018
There were rumblings that D’Antoni had been resistant to Kerr’s suggestions and to making defense more of a priority.

— connor letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, "Steve Kerr, Mike D’Antoni: Hoops savants who clashed in the past," 11 May 2018
There are certainly jobs at the Andover warehouse that will be resistant to automation for a while.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Welcome to the automated warehouse of the future," 8 May 2018
Members of Congress, particularly Democrats, have been resistant to Haspel's nomination without more information about her role in the program.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program," 6 May 2018
While this all adds up to progress for conservationists, the big question is why is so much of the travel sector resistant to change?

— New York Times, "Bans on Plastic Straws Are Growing. But Is the Travel Industry Doing Enough?," 1 May 2018
That’s partly because Saudis themselves are resistant to change.

— karl vick, Time, "The Saudi Crown Prince Thinks He Can Transform the Middle East. Should We Believe Him?," 5 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of resistant

15th century

in the meaning defined above

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resistant

noun

Definition of resistant

: one that resists : resister

Recent Examples of resistant from the Web

Making human cells virus-resistant will involve at least 400,000 changes to the genome, according to GP-write’s announcement today.

— kelly servick, Science | AAAS, "Genome writing project aims to rally scientists around virus-proofing cells," 1 May 2018

First Known Use of resistant

1580

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

RESISTANT Defined for English Language Learners

resistant

adjective

Definition of resistant for English Language Learners

: opposed to something : wanting to prevent something from happening
: not affected or harmed by something

RESISTANT Defined for Kids

resistant

adjective re·sis·tant \ ri-ˈzis-tənt \

Definition of resistant for Students

: capable of withstanding the force or effect of

The material is fire-resistant.

Medical Dictionary

resistant

adjective re·sis·tant

variants: also resistent play \-tənt\

medical Definition of resistant

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance —often used in combination

a drug-resistant strain of virus

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See words that rhyme with resistant Spanish Central: Translation of resistant Nglish: Translation of resistant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of resistant for Arabic speakers

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resistant

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