resilient

/rɪˈzɪl.i.ənt/
adjectiveIntermediate
general

Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, tough situations, or adversity.

Children who grow up in challenging environments can develop resilient personalities.

Exposure to hardship can help children build the ability to bounce back from setbacks.

The resilient infrastructure withstood the hurricane without major damage.

The strong design of the infrastructure allowed it to endure extreme weather.

💡

Often used to describe people, systems, or structures that adapt well to stress or change.

Collocations

resilient toable to withstand or adapt tobuild resiliencedevelop the ability to recover from difficultiesresilient mindseta mental attitude that helps overcome challenges

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

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

💡Pro Tip

Resilience vs. Toughness

While both describe strength, 'resilient' emphasizes recovery, whereas 'tough' often implies enduring without breaking.

Gold Rule

Correct Usage

Use 'resilient' for people, systems, or materials that recover well from stress, not just those that endure.

📖Word Origin

From Latin 'resilire' (to rebound), from 're-' (back) + 'salire' (to leap). First recorded in English in the 1640s.

📝Usage Notes

Commonly used in psychology, business, and engineering contexts to describe the ability to recover from adversity.

Word Breakdown

re-
back
prefix
+
-sil-
to leap
root
+
-ent
having the quality of
suffix
English Dictionary