resilience

/rɪˈzɪlɪəns/
nounIntermediate
general

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, tough times, or adversity.

The community showed remarkable resilience after the natural disaster.

The community demonstrated an impressive ability to recover and rebuild.

💡

Often used in psychology and sociology to describe emotional and social recovery.

⚙️Engineering
technical

The ability of a system, organization, or material to withstand and recover from stress or disruption.

The bridge's design includes resilience features to withstand earthquakes.

The bridge is engineered to absorb and recover from seismic activity.

💡

In engineering, resilience refers to the structural or functional ability to endure and recover.

💼Business
formal

The ability of a business or economy to adapt and thrive despite challenges.

The company's resilience during the economic downturn was praised by analysts.

The company's ability to adapt and perform well despite financial difficulties was noted.

💡

In business, resilience often refers to financial or operational adaptability.

Collocations

build resilienceto develop the ability to recover from difficultiesshow resilienceto demonstrate the ability to cope with adversitymental resiliencethe ability to handle stress and emotional challenges

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

bounce backphrase
to recover quickly from a setback
weather the stormidiom
to endure a difficult period

💡Pro Tip

Context Matters

Resilience can refer to personal, social, or structural recovery. Pay attention to the context to understand the specific meaning.

Gold Rule

Positive Connotation

Resilience is always used in a positive sense, describing strength or adaptability.

📖Word Origin

From Latin 'resilire' (to rebound), from 're-' (back) + 'salire' (to leap). First recorded in English in the early 17th century.

📝Usage Notes

Resilience is often used in psychological and social contexts to describe emotional recovery, but it also applies to physical systems and organizational adaptability.

Word Breakdown

re-
back
prefix
+
-sil-
to leap or rebound
root
+
-ence
state or quality
suffix
English Dictionary