RESILIENCE Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

resilience

noun

Definition of resilience

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.

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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.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of resilience Access to lower-cost materials and homeowner education can help make wildfire resilience more affordable. — Virginia Iglesias, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026 Isaac Treves, a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University who studies neuroimaging, mindfulness and resilience, is particularly skeptical of consumer neurofeedback devices such as Muse. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 The restoration efforts, including broadcasts from the Nuxalk Radio station, also underline the resilience of the Indigenous community in the face of challenges from climate change and colonialization. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026 But this resilience should not be mistaken for future security of supply, especially as this potential escalation comes at a time when global inventory levels have been drained by around 1 billion barrels. — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for resilience

Recent Examples of Synonyms for resilience

Noun

That was only possible due to the strength of Ossoff and Cooper, who both raised gobs of money and put away their opponents weeks ago.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
In Ossoff, Democrats were buoyed by a candidate who won respect at home even from some Republican officials for the strength of his constituent services.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of strength

Noun

Embracing flexibility over rigidity gives materials scientists a scalable blueprint for designing custom materials from scratch.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
Brooklyn’s collection of picks and financial flexibility gives Marks options.

— C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of flexibility

Noun

Have the confidence to walk away For founders, persistence is often celebrated, but knowing when to stop investing in a business can be just as important as having the conviction to start one.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
The persistence of these differences beyond the pandemic points to chronic disease, not Covid-19 alone, as a key component of the political mortality divide.

— Brandon Yan, STAT, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of persistence

Noun

And for TechxFluencer, that makes early creator education more about building adaptability.

— Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Several of the mills’ S/S ’28 fabric collections reflect this mindset, offering both fashion trend and adaptability.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of adaptability

Noun

The Home Service Insurance segment experienced a decline in premiums, attributed to strategic actions to improve sales quality and persistency, as well as economic pressures such as inflation.

— Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025
The tannins are well structured yet soft and the wine has great persistency in the finish.

— Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 2 May 2023

Definition of persistency

Noun

Glycerin and plant oils, including coconut and castor oil, help support the barrier, while niacinamide, prickly pear, and green tea smooth texture and boost elasticity.

— Madison San Miguel, Allure, 30 Oct. 2026
The approach seeks to address the structures responsible for elasticity, rather than simply improving the appearance of the skin.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of elasticity

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resigns (from)

resilience

resilient

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“Resilience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/resilience. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of resilience

noun

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