resilience
noun
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Using Resilience Outside of Physics
In physics, resilience is the ability of an elastic material (such as rubber or animal tissue) to absorb energy (such as from a blow) and release that energy as it springs back to its original shape. The recovery that occurs in this phenomenon can be viewed as analogous to a person's ability to bounce back after a jarring setback. The word resilience derives from the present participle of the Latin verb resilire, meaning "to jump back" or "to recoil." The base of resilire is salire, a verb meaning "to leap" that also pops up in the etymologies of such sprightly words as sally and somersault.
Examples of resilience in a Sentence
Susan Richardson, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 1994
He squeezed the rubber with a clamp and then released it—demonstrating with this painfully simple experiment that the material lost its resilience and therefore its ability to flex rapidly enough to protect the rocket joint from tumultuous hot gases.
—James Gleick, New York Times Book Review, 13 Nov. 1988
With amazing resilience the two tribes pulled together and set out to found a new town farther up the river.
—Carolyn Gilman, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 1988
It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.
—Bram Stoker, Dracula, 1897
The rescue workers showed remarkable resilience in dealing with the difficult conditions.
Cold temperatures caused the material to lose resilience.
Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
This speaks to their remarkable resilience and the need for us — adults, institutions, policymakers, community leaders — to invest more deeply in the potential of every young person in this city.
—Beth Swanson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Trauma is often dealt with privately, through silence or resilience rather than therapy.
—Sophal Ear, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
Although the watchmaking industry remains shaken and stirred by the whirlwind of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariffs policies, resilience and cautious optimism prevailed among retailers at the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for resilience
Cite this Entry
“Resilience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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