ENGLISH
REFERENCE

resilient

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ɹɪˈzɪɫjənt// UK //ɹɪsˈɪliənt// re·silient

adj. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens. You use this to describe people or things that recover quickly from problems.

adj. able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Often used predicatively after 'be' or 'become' to describe psychological or physical durability.


SIMPLE

She is a resilient person who never gives up.

CONTEXTUAL

The local economy proved resilient despite the sudden closure of the city's largest factory.

COMPLEX

Ecologists are studying how certain coral species remain resilient in the face of rising ocean temperatures, hoping to apply these findings to wider conservation efforts.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *sel-der. Proto-Italic *saljō Latin saliō Latin resiliō Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -ēns Latin resiliēnsder. English resilient Borrowed from Latin resiliēns (“rebounding”, present active participle of resiliō).

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'to' when describing resistance to specific external pressures.

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