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noun

resilience

rih-ZIHL-ih-uhns
noun
1
The ability to recover quickly from difficulty.
"Her resilience after the accident amazed everyone who knew her."
"Building resilience helps children cope with setbacks later in life."
2
The ability of a material to bounce back into shape after being bent or stretched.
"Rubber is prized for its resilience."
"Engineers test the resilience of the material before using it in bridges."

How to Use Resilience

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe ability to bounce back from setbacks, whether emotional or physical.

Memory tip

Think of a rubber band — it bends under pressure, then springs back. That's resilience.

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Common pairings
build resilience show resilience emotional resilience

Word Forms

resiliences plural

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Her _____ after the accident amazed everyone who knew her.

Etymology

From Latin resilire, "to spring back."

Rhymes for resilience

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial