Standard Lemma guide

resilient

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹɪˈzɪl.jənt/
  • /ɹɪˈzɪli.ənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 Z IH1 L Y AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Returning quickly to original shape after force is applied; elastic. (of objects or substances)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Returning quickly to original shape after force is applied; elastic. (of objects or substances)

Having the ability to absorb energy when deformed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: materials science

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions. (of systems, organisms or people)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions. (of systems, organisms or people)

Having the ability to recover from mental illness, trauma, etc.; having resilience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, neuroscience, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

elastic; rebounds readily

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • clean bouncy hair
  • a lively tennis ball
  • as resilient as seasoned hickory
  • springy turf

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bouncy, live, lively, springy

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin resiliō Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -ēns Latin resiliēnsder. English resilient From Latin resiliēns, resilientem (“rebounding”, present active participle of resiliō) (whence -ent), from saliō (“leap, jump”).

Across languages

Translations

80 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: veerkragtig — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Arabic: مَرِن (marin) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Armenian: ճկուն (čkun) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Armenian: առաձգական (aṙajgakan) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Bulgarian: гъвкав (gǎvkav) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Bulgarian: еластичен (elastičen) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Catalan: elàstic — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Catalan: resistent — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Dutch: veerkrachtig — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Dutch: flexibel — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Esperanto: fortika — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Finnish: joustava — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Finnish: sitkeä — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Finnish: tukeva — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • French: flexible — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • French: résistant — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • French: résilient — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Georgian: დრეკადი (dreḳadi) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: elastisch — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: federnd — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: spannkräftig — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: unverwüstlich — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: belastbar — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: resilient — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: widerstandsfähig — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: haltbar — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • German: dauerhaft — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Greek: ελαστικός (elastikós) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Greek: εύκαμπτος (éfkamptos) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Greek: ανθεκτικός (anthektikós) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Hungarian: rugalmas — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Hungarian: ellenálló — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Hungarian: elasztikus — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Italian: elastico — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Italian: flessibile — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Italian: resiliente — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Khmer: រឹងឆ្កឺត (rɨŋ ckəət) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Khmer: ស្ថិរ (sthe’ra’) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Khmer: ថិរៈ (theerea’) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Khmer: ថាវរៈ (thaavea’rea’) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Khmer: មាំទាំ (moam toam) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Māori: manawaroa — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Old English: tōh — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Pashto: کشکېدونکی (kaškedunkay) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Pashto: غزېدونکی (ǧazedunkay) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Pashto: څکېدونکی (śkedunkay) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Polish: elastyczny — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Portuguese: resiliente — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Portuguese: elástico — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Quechua: anku — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Russian: ги́бкий (gíbkij) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Russian: эласти́чный (elastíčnyj) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Russian: упру́гий (uprúgij) — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Serbo-Croatian: fleksibilan — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Serbo-Croatian: elastičan — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Slovak: odolný — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Slovak: pružný — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Slovak: húževnatý — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Spanish: tenaz — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Spanish: resistente — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Spanish: resiliente — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Turkish: dirençli — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Turkish: elastik — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Turkish: esnek — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Turkish: sağlam — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Vietnamese: đàn hồi — able to withstand force without cracking; elastic
  • Afrikaans: veerkragtig — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Danish: modstandsdygtig — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Dutch: weerbaar — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Esperanto: rezistema — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • French: résilient — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • German: widerstandsfähig — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • German: resilient — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Hungarian: ellenállóképes — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Hungarian: ellenálló — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Ingrian: sitkiä — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Italian: resiliente — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Malay: daya bingkas — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Romanian: rezilient — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough
  • Swedish: motståndskraftig — returning quickly to normal after damaging events or conditions; psychologically or structurally tough