resonance

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic

n. the power of an idea or feeling to be important to you or to remind you of something.

n. the power to evoke enduring images, memories, or emotions; the quality of 'striking a chord' with an audience.

“The old stories still have a lot of resonance for people living today.”

“The poet's metaphors carry a particular resonance for those who have experienced the displacement of war and migration.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Science Technical

n. when an object vibrates more strongly because it is hit by a force at a specific speed.

n. the increase in amplitude of oscillation when a system is exposed to a periodic force whose frequency matches its natural frequency.

“The bridge began to shake because the wind hit it at just the right resonance.”

“Engineers must account for mechanical resonance to ensure that the building's structural integrity is not compromised during high-frequency seismic events.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Astronomy Technical

n. the way the gravity of one planet or moon affects the path of another.

n. the gravitational influence of two orbiting bodies on each other when their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers.

“The moons of Jupiter are locked in a resonance that keeps their orbits stable.”

“The 2:3 orbital resonance between Pluto and Neptune prevents the two bodies from colliding despite their intersecting paths.”

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Chemistry Technical

n. a way of describing a molecule that can be shown in more than one way.

n. the representation of the electronic structure of a molecule as a hybrid of two or more contributing structures.

“The resonance of the benzene ring explains why the molecule is so stable.”

“Resonance theory allows chemists to predict the stability and reactivity of aromatic compounds by averaging several Lewis structures.”