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resistant

adjective
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re·​sis·​tant | \ ri-ˈzi-stənt How to pronounce resistant (audio) \

Definition of resistant

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance —often used in combinationwrinkle-resistant clothesa drug-resistant strain of virus

resistant

noun

Definition of resistant (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that resists : resister

Examples of resistant in a Sentence

Adjective These plants are resistant to cold temperatures. He became resistant to the medication.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Some lawmakers, however, are resistant to detectors, even refusing to go through the security measure. — Washington Post, "The U.S. isn’t the only country to make lawmakers pass through metal detectors," 15 Jan. 2021 The company has generally been resistant to taking down content from its app. — Anchorage Daily News, "Far-right groups move online conversations from social media to chat apps - and out of view of law enforcement," 15 Jan. 2021 The plastic documents include an FAA seal and, according to the FAA, are resistant to tampering, alteration, and counterfeiting. — BostonGlobe.com, "Flight plan for Failure," 13 Jan. 2021 However, the league has been resistant to court intervention in its business, arguing that it would be better served by solving problems either internally or through congressional action. — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, "Connecticut senator rips NCAA for delaying vote on athlete compensation," 13 Jan. 2021 Experts say there's no evidence the new strain is resistant to the vaccines and the infections are no more severe. — CBS News, "Cuomo calls new coronavirus strain "highly problematic": "It could be a game changer"," 5 Jan. 2021 And San Bernardino County has been more resistant to state mandates than L.A., with officials clashing with Gov. Gavin Newsom over the latest stay-at-home order. — Los Angeles Times, "‘They’re coming in younger and coming in sicker’: One hospital’s war with coronavirus," 4 Jan. 2021 To see any sort of relationship with multiple layer, and a lot of history is always really a fun challenge to play especially having to think about why Sabrina would be resistant in this moment. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, ""Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" Stars Kiernan Shipka and Gavin Leatherwood on Nabrina Being Endgame," 31 Dec. 2020 Predictably, the public-health representatives were resistant, too: travel bans slowed down emergency assistance, and viruses found ways to propagate no matter what. — Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, "The Plague Year," 28 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun 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

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.

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First Known Use of resistant

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for resistant

Time Traveler

The first known use of resistant was in the 15th century

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Statistics for resistant

Last Updated

21 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Resistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resistant. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for resistant

resistant

adjective
How to pronounce resistant (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of resistant

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

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

resistant

adjective
re·​sis·​tant | \ ri-ˈzis-tənt How to pronounce resistant (audio) \

Kids Definition of resistant

: capable of withstanding the force or effect of The material is fire-resistant.

resistant

adjective
re·​sis·​tant
variants: also resistent \ -​tənt How to pronounce resistant (audio) \

Medical Definition of resistant

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance —often used in combination a drug-resistant strain of virus

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More from Merriam-Webster on resistant

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for resistant

Nglish: Translation of resistant for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of resistant for Arabic Speakers

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