Synonyms of resilience

resilience

noun

1

as in strength

the ability to withstand or adjust to challenges

Her resilience shined in her willingness to accept the failure as a valuable learning experience.

We were impressed by his resilience and optimism throughout his battle with cancer.

Related Words

• strength
• persistence
• persistency
• tenacity
• potency
• perseverance
• power
• stubbornness
• fortitude
• doggedness
• grit
• obduracy
• obstinacy
• tenaciousness
• backbone
• iron
• sand
• obdurateness
• obstinateness
• autonomy
• freedom
• pluck
• self-reliance
• self-sufficiency
• independence
• self-determination
• self-support
• self-dependence
• self-subsistence

Dissimilar Words

• weakness
• helplessness
• inadequacy
• impotence
• dependence
• reliance
• impotency

2

as in flexibility

the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been stretched, pressed, bent, etc.

Rubber is a favorite material for dog toys thanks to its strong resilience.

Palm trees have evolved to show strong resilience in the face of tropical storms.

Related Words

• flexibility
• adaptability
• elasticity
• plasticity
• workability
• limberness
• workableness
• pliability
• ductility
• suppleness
• pliancy
• malleability
• pliableness
• pliantness

Dissimilar Words

• stiffness
• rigidity
• inflexibility

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of resilience

Exactly what resilience looks like in fashion supply chains is up for debate. — Bella Webb, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

That nonprofit group has been building resilience in lower-resource countries for over a decade, dispatching coaches and mentors to educate and train local healthcare students and practitioners as well as building financial and material resources. — Diane Cole, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026

Personal investments should provide diversification, liquidity and resilience to support their entrepreneurial journey. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Improved resilience to electronic warfare could further complicate efforts to disrupt these systems. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!