resistant

1 of 2

adjective

re·​sis·​tant ri-ˈzi-stənt 

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance

—often used in combination

wrinkle-resistant clothes

a drug-resistant strain of virus

resistant

2 of 2

noun

: 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

Organisms not resistant to this onslaught—anything from microbes and crops to whales and humans—would experience an almost violently severe sunburn. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

TikTok has been more resistant to Musk content than some of its competitors, refusing to reverse its position against accepting an ad for the trailer even after Meta and Google/YouTube did just that. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026

Plant Armor is a knitted fabric that grew out of a research project aimed at making military uniforms more resistant to mosquito bites and more comfortable to wear. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026

But none of that martial-arts mayhem is as compelling as the battle being waged behind the scenes as director Kitao Sakurai tries to insert his irreverent, ironic approach into a property resistant to that kind of impish goofing around. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing resistant

• heat resistant
• vancomycin-resistant enterococcus
• water-resistant

Rhymes for resistant

• assistant
• consistent
• existent
• insistent
• persistent
• subsistent
• coexistent
• equidistant
• inconsistent
• nonexistent
• preexistent
• distant

Kids Definition

resistant

adjective

re·​sis·​tant

ri-ˈzis-tənt

: giving, capable of, or showing resistance

—often used in combination

wrinkle-resistant clothes

Medical Definition

resistant

adjective

re·​sis·​tant

variants also resistent

-tənt 

: giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance

—often used in combination

a drug-resistant strain of virus