ENGLISH
REFERENCE

resistant

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ɹiˈzɪstənt// UK //ɹɪsˈɪstənt// re·sis·tant

adj. not easily affected or damaged by something. You use this to describe things that stay strong against heat, water, or even new ideas.

adj. offering opposition or showing an ability to withstand the effects of an external force or substance. In a statistical context, it describes a method or estimator that remains unaffected by outliers or small departures from model assumptions.


SIMPLE

This new watch is resistant to water and scratches.

CONTEXTUAL

The local bacteria have become increasingly resistant to common antibiotics over the last decade.

COMPLEX

The median is considered a resistant statistic because its value remains stable even if a few extreme outliers are introduced into the data set.

Synonyms
Origin

From French résistant; equivalent to resist + -ant.

Usage

Typically followed by the preposition 'to' when specifying the force being resisted.

Pitfall

The material is resistant from heat.The material is resistant to heat.The adjective resistant takes the preposition 'to', not 'from' or 'against'.

© 2026 English Reference